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head of KIPP's legal division, Sirra Prayuna, said the contents of the bill resembled the 1963 Subversion Law which was revoked last year.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