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.