Govt promises presidential election will be on time

Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Minister of Home Affairs Hari Sabarno guaranteed on Monday the official term of President Megawati Soekarnoputri would not exceed the official period of five years, saying he was preparing a bill for direct presidential elections.

The minister said he would soon submit to the House of Representatives two bills on direct presidential and vice presidential elections and on the composition of the legislative bodies.

"We are working on the assumption that a new president and vice president will be installed in October 2004," Hari said after discussing the general elections bill with legislators here.

Megawati assumed the presidency in July last year, replacing former president Abdurrahman Wahid.

She is expected to conclude her term in office in October 2004. Before that, a direct presidential election should have been held to elect a new president and vice president.

Megawati's abbreviated presidency has caused speculation that she would delay direct presidential elections in order to extend her term.

Hari promised he would do his best to submit the bills on direct presidential and vice presidential elections and the composition of the legislative bodies before the bills on political parties and general elections were passed into law by the end of this year.

His statement came in response to questions from legislators about why the minister did not insert "procedures for direct presidential and vice presidential elections" into the bill on general elections.

He said his ministry would not rush the deliberations of direct presidential elections in order to ensure the bill was comprehensive, considering that direct presidential elections would be a new experience for Indonesia.

"We have decided to submit separate bills on general elections and direct presidential elections to make them more focused," the minister said.

Legislators and members of the General Elections Commission (KPU) have repeatedly expressed concern about the government's sluggishness in submitting the bill on direct presidential elections.

They say the lateness of the government in submitting the bill could postpone the direct presidential elections, which many hope will be the starting point for thorough reform in the country.

Responding to these concerns, the Reform faction in the House proposed inserting procedures for direct presidential elections into the bill on general elections.

The meeting on Monday, however, agreed to delay discussion of the issue, pending a proposal from the home ministry.

"The government should have already submitted the bill on direct presidential elections so there would be sufficient time to discuss the matter," Reform faction chairman Ahmad Farhan Hamid said.

The Reform faction consists of legislators from the Justice Party and the National Mandate Party, led by aspiring presidential candidate Amien Rais.

The meeting on Monday also discussed a proposal from the government to give members of the Indonesian Military (TNI) and the National Police the right to vote in elections.

Some factions, including Golkar, the United Development Party (PPP), the Reform faction and the TNI/Police, rejected the proposal, but the minister insisted that it must be approved.

"The government will not discriminate in the right to vote. The right to vote is universal," Hari said.

Of the 963 items in the general elections bill scheduled for deliberation, 669 items have been discussed by legislators and the minister. However, many of them have yet to be decided on because of conflicting opinions among the nine factions in the House.