Government pushes for open list electoral system

Government pushes for open list electoral system

Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Despite challenges from major factions in the House of
Representatives, the government pushed on Monday for a
proportional electoral system and an open list of candidates,
saying that it would improve the accountability of future
legislators.

Speaking at a meeting with the House's special committee
deliberating the election bill, Minister of Home Affairs Hari
Sabarno criticized the old proportional system for offering
voters "a cat in the bag", in which voters do not know who their
representatives are.

Hari said that the proportional system was not democratic as
it allowed the central board of a political party to pick its
preferred cadres as legislative candidates.

"It is hoped that the open-listed proportional system will
enable people to elect their representatives more independently,"
Hari said at a meeting presided over by committee chairman
Agustin Teras Narang of PDI Perjuangan.

The top three factions, the Indonesian Democratic Party of
Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), Golkar and the United Development
Party (PPP), said at an earlier meeting that they preferred the
existing proportional system.

Between them, the factions hold 331 out of the 500 House
seats.

Hari said the combination of a proportional system and an open
list of candidates would ensure that minority groups would be
represented at the House.

With the combination, the ballot would have the names of the
legislative candidates attached to it.

In the past, Indonesia adopted a proportional system, which is
widely criticized for distancing constituents from their
representatives. The legislators are prone to struggling for
their respective party's interests, instead of their
constituents'.

Major factions opposed using a proportional system and an open
list because it was too complicated.

"Technically, it would be difficult for the voters because the
size of the ballot would be much bigger and complicated," Teras
said.

The meeting on Monday also talked about the independence of
the General Election Commission (KPU), the electoral area, the
number of House seats and police and military members' right to
vote.

Hari said that the secretariat of the KPU should be managed by
a secretary-general who is a state administrator.

"The secretariat of the KPU is a subsidiary and assisting body
to the commission," Hari said.

He said the government had to provide the secretariat with
personnel, financing and an infrastructure that was used
throughout the country, from the central to the regional
administrations.

The minister said the elections in 2004 would not proceed
smoothly without the assistance of regional administrations, who
knew the infrastructure used in the 1999 election.

Regarding the police and military personnel's right to vote,
Hari, who is a former military officer, said the right to vote
relates to a person not an institution.