House determined to make quality new political laws

House determined to make quality new political laws

JAKARTA (JP): Golkar legislator Abu Hasan Sazili promised on
Thursday that the House of Representatives (DPR) would produce
quality political laws despite the limited time available.

Abu heads the DPR's 87-strong special committee assigned to
deliberate, together with the government, the three new political
bills which are expected to be passed on Jan. 28, 1999.

"The time may be pressing... but we won't compromise the
quality of the laws," he said after attending the closure of the
current sitting session of the DPR by House Speaker Harmoko.

The committee is expected to resume deliberation of the bills
on Nov. 18. The team is comprised of 52 Golkar legislators, 14
representatives from the Armed Forces (ABRI) faction, 16 from the
United Development Party (PPP) faction and five from the
Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI).

Sazili dismissed concerns that the Golkar-dominant committee
would produce documents which would serve Golkar's political
interests.

"We are putting the interests of the nation and country above
all," he asserted. "We are determined to get on with the national
political agenda."

The three bills -- on general elections, political parties and
on the structure and function of the House, the People's
consultative Assembly (MPR) and the provincial and regency
legislatures -- are seen as the key to bringing the country
toward greater democracy.

Despite their strategic significance, the government was late
in submitting the bills to the House, Sazili said. The documents
were filed on Sept. 16 and the first reading took place on Oct.
2.

According to President B.J. Habibie's political agenda, the
bills should have been submitted in early September and passed in
November. There was no official explanation for the delay.

A general election is scheduled for May or June next year and
the MPR is expected to convene in general session to elect a new
president in December 1999.

Sazili identified a number of areas where tough debates would
be expected, including on the allocation of seats in the House to
the Armed Forces (ABRI), on government involvement in the
organization of the elections, and on the electoral system
itself. Also on Friday, Harmoko said the House expected to pass
the House-sponsored antimonopoly bill in December. (aan)