House called on to delay security bill approval

House called on to delay security bill approval

JAKARTA (JP): The Independent Election Monitoring Committee
(KIPP) said on Friday it could acquiesce to the controversial
state security bill, but suggested the House of Representatives
delay its approval of the bill.

KIPP representative Bambang Sugiyanto told members of the
military/police faction in the House the committee "could
tolerate the bill" because of changes the House had made to the
draft law.

However, considering the widespread public opposition, Bambang
said it would be better for the House to delay approving the bill
in order to give the government ample time to familiarize the
public with the contents of the bill.

"The opposition may escalate because of public unawareness of
the bill. It's important, therefore, to introduce the bill to the
public in order to get feedback," he said.

The bill is scheduled to be approved by the House on Sept. 23.
The current legislators in the House will end their two-year term
on Sept. 24, a week before the new members of the House are
scheduled to be sworn in.

KIPP is reputed to be the largest poll watchdog in the
country. Founded by noted critics of Soeharto's New Order
government, it first monitored the May 1997 general election.

The head of KIPP's legal division, Sirra Prayuna, said the
contents of the bill resembled the 1963 Subversion Law which was
revoked last year.

One of the members of the House committee deliberating the
bill, Rudy Supriatna, said the House rejected most of the
contents of the original government-sponsored draft.

"We did not agree with the original draft and have made
radical changes to it," he said.

He dismissed public fear about the consequences which would
result if the government imposed a state of emergency, saying it
was difficult for the government to invoke the law.

The KIPP delegation also suggested the House specify the
accountability procedure for officials misusing their authority
during a state of emergency.

In Semarang, the Central Java chapter of the National
Awakening Party (PKB) voiced its opposition to the bill.

"The bill hurts people who are longing for democracy and
justice," the secretary-general of the chapter, Abdul Kadir
Karding, said.

Kadir also said his party would throw its weight behind the
students who were protesting the bill. "We call on the military
to respect the students' right to protest the bill." (05/har)