House clears early hurdle to fair general elections
Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The House of Representatives settled on Tuesday the disputes marking its marathon deliberation of the crucial election bill, dismissing fears of a delay in the general election scheduled for next year.
In an unusual manner, the House legislators resolved their differences in opinion through an open vote on eight articles, including one that allows public officials -- ranging from the president to state enterprise executives -- to campaign for their respective parties.
The newly approved election bill was the second piece of legislation passed required for the 2004 general election following the endorsement of the political party bill that has been enacted into Law No. 31/2002.
The House will soon regroup to deliberate the remaining two bills on the composition of the legislative bodies and on the direct election of president and vice president.
The House only recently received the bill on direct presidential elections and has already formed a special committee to deliberate the bill on the composition of legislative bodies.
Tuesday's approval of the election bill came just a week after the General Elections Commission (KPU) reissued a warning that a delay in deliberation could disrupt its preparations for the upcoming elections, the second to be held in the reform era.
The House had been slated to complete the debate early in January.
"We had to complete this deliberation today for the sake of legal certainty, which will help us prepare for the elections next year," said legislator Ahmad Farhan Hamid, who was on the special committee debating the bill.
Article 75 on public officials' involvement in election campaigns created the toughest tug-of-war, which pitted factions representing the major political parties -- the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), the Golkar Party, the United Development Party (PPP) and the Crescent Star Party (PBB) -- on one side in favor of officials campaigning against the remaining of factions on the other side.
The four parties have vested interests in making the House allow public officials to campaign, due to the fact that President Megawati Soekarnoputri chairs PDI Perjuangan, Vice President Hamzah Haz heads PPP and that the four parties share ministerial posts in the Cabinet and other positions in the executive and judiciary branches.
These public officials are banned from using state facilities and have to take unpaid leave while serving their party interests. Commitment to their parties must not affect the running of government either.
"We will further regulate this issue through a presidential decree or just leave it to the KPU," Minister of Home Affairs Hari Sabarno, who represented the government, said at the end of the House session late at night.
Hari was commenting on the possibility of all government officials taking leave en masse to campaign for their respective parties.
The House had earlier evaded a vote to reach agreement on three issues, namely a 30 percent quota for women legislative candidates, the president's status as the state official accountable for the organization of elections and the ban imposed on a convicted felon from running for a legislative seat.
Hari looked impatient when the House failed to reach a consensus on certain issues.
"We cannot let the debate last to the end of this year," he said.
Legislator Asnawi Latif from the United Ummat Sovereignty faction (F-PDU) also expressed disappointment, saying that the debate over whether state officials should be allowed to campaign had consumed too much time.
In their final view, spokespersons of all nine factions hailed the adoption of a proportional electoral system and an open-list of candidates, which requires voters to directly choose a political party as well as candidates.
"This will ensure voters pick legislators who really represent the people," said Samuel Koto of the Reform faction.
Articles approved through voting
1. Article 75: State officials are allowed to campaign providing they take unpaid leave and do not use state facilities.
2. Article 84: Voters perforate party symbols as well as candidate names or photos on ballot papers.
3. Article 93: Votes are valid if ballot papers are signed by polling booth chiefs, and the boxes have been perforated correctly.
4. Article 107: Candidates are selected based on rank.
5. Article 143: Political parties failing to pass the 2 percent electoral threshold are not allowed to contest the next elections unless they merge with other parties.
6. Article 144: Members of the General Elections Commission elected under Law No. 4/2000 carry out their duties until March 2006.
7. Elucidation on Article 48: One seat accounts for between 325,000 and 425,000 votes.
8. Elucidation on Article 74: Campaigns on campuses must first be approved by university rectors.