Factions in agreement on independent poll commission
JAKARTA (JP): All five factions on the People's Consultative Assembly's Ad Hoc Committee I agreed on Wednesday the general election planned for next May should be held fairly and run by an independent election commission rather than by the government.
Marwah Daud Ibrahim, the committee chairwoman, said her committee reached the agreement after discussions, lobbying and consultations over several sessions.
"We are all feeling happy that after tough talks in the sessions, consultations and lobby fora, all factions eventually reached the agreement," she said.
She said, however, that factions were still divided over the membership of the election commission.
The Golkar, Armed Forces (ABRI) and Regional Representatives factions proposed that the members should represent the government, political parties and the public, while the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) and United Development Party (PPP) factions wanted the government to be excluded.
"The government should stay out of the election process and the commission. However, the president should be accountable (for the poll)," Chozin Chumaidy of PPP said.
Ismunandar of PDI said the election had to be run by an independent commission so it could proceed fairly and in order to prevent vote rigging and other manipulation.
The draft law on general elections which was recently submitted for deliberation to the House of Representatives stipulates that the president must establish an independent election commission whose members represent the government, political parties and the public.
Marwah said her committee was also still divided over ABRI's representation in the MPR, House of Representatives (DPR), and provincial and regency legislative councils.
The PPP faction proposed that ABRI be represented only in the MPR in line with latest public calls for the government to reduce the military's role in politics to a minimum.
Endin Sofihara of PPP said his faction believed that ABRI should continue to play a role in politics but that it should be reduced in line with "modernization".
"Numerous incidents in the past have given us an important lesson that they had to do with the ABRI's dual function (in security and politics). The time has come for ABRI to reduce its role in politics," he said.
Golkar and the Regional Representatives said ABRI's current political role, including its representation in the MPR, DPR, provincial and regional legislative councils, should be maintained since it did not participate in general elections.
Rully Chairul Azwar of Golkar said ABRI's representation in the DPR and MPR should be maintained because it had helped improve the state institutions' performance.
The committee also agreed the election would be held in May or in June at the latest, saying the poll was urgently needed to help solve the political crisis.
Marwah said all factions were committed to the reform movement and the national political agenda to run a general election as soon as possible in order to have a democratic government.
Widodo AS, chairman of the Assembly's Ad Hoc Committee II, said his committee also agreed with the planned general election as part of the political reform that should be carried out by President B.J. Habibie's government.
He said that his committee had agreed to make a state policy outline regulating programs that should be carried out by the government until the MPR general session in December 1999. (rms)