Foreign observers allowed to monitor 1999 election

JAKARTA (JP): The United Nations and other international observers will be allowed to monitor Indonesia's general election next year, President B.J. Habibie said on Thursday.

The President made the announcement even as, separately, Minister of Home Affairs Syarwan Hamid predicted the elections will not be held until mid-June 1999. The government earlier promised the elections would be held in May.

Habibie said the United Nations, the United States, Germany, France, Japan and Australia had requested observer status.

"They want to make the next election a free and fair one," Habibie told about 350 local and foreign participants of the opening of the Indonesia Forum Conference at the State Palace.

Syarwan said a new law covering a reformed electoral system would not be endorsed by the House of Representatives until January.

"It is estimated that the country will need at least four months after the sanctioning of the law on politics before a general election can be undertaken," Syarwan said.

"It will be difficult to hold an election earlier because there are many preparations to undertake."

Such preparations include the formation of an election committee and the registration of the political parties that will be eligible to contest the election under the new law, he said.

So far, more than 100 new political parties have sprung up since May when Soeharto resigned from the presidency.

However, Syarwan said the next presidential election could be held two months ahead of its earlier scheduled date in December.

"We have carefully calculated the schedule for the general election and, subsequently, the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) general session, which covers the presidential election, could be held either in September or October at the latest next year," he said.

The new law that Syarwan spoke of will also determine how many seats are to be allocated to the politically powerful military in the new House. Under existing rules 75 seats are reserved for the military in the 500-seat legislature.

The government-sponsored bill on the general election -- currently being read by the House -- seeks to reduce the allotment to 55 seats. However, some legislators have vowed they will fight for an even smaller number.

"Whether the number of ABRI seats is reduced will depend on the result of the negotiations during the deliberation of the bill," Syarwan said, citing the Armed Forces' stated readiness to have a gradual reduction.

The minister said the government was still considering an electoral system which was most appropriate for the present situation.

Also on Thursday, Habibie warned Indonesia was racing against time and that failure to implement reform would cause unrest and threaten national unity.

Habibie said he would also have to complete his term at the nation's helm toward the end of 1999, and during the short time available, the government must resolve various problems.

"In facing these grave challenges, I am asking all components of the nation to refrain from fighting simply for their group's interests or their own personal interests," he said.

He described how the People's Consultative Assembly had given him a mandate to restore the economy and launch political reform.

Therefore, he urged all parties to fight for their political interests through democratic and constitutional means, and to uphold the law and political ethics.

In his off-the-cuff speech, Habibie touched upon the bloody clashes between student protesters and security personnel on Semanggi cloverleaf in South Jakarta, which claimed at least 15 lives last week.

He said he remained committed to freedom of speech but the government was obliged to enforce the law against any attempts to topple it. "As genuine patriots, let us fight for our goals through dignified and respectable means," the President warned in his official speech. (prb/imn)