House factions still divided on structure of DPR and MPR

House factions still divided on structure of DPR and MPR

JAKARTA (JP): Factions at the House of Representatives
continued to be divided on Thursday over how much representation
the Armed Forces should have in the next legislative body.

Lively debates also failed to bring agreement among
legislators deliberating political bills on the size and
structure of the House and the People's Consultative Assembly
(MPR), to be formed after general elections of next June 7.

Buttu Hutapea of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) said
that the Armed Forces (ABRI) faction proposed an allotment of 55
seats to maintain a major role in the House, while the United
Development Party (PPP) faction wants an allotment of only 10
seats for ABRI.

The dominant Golkar proposed 25 seats, while PDI has yet to
take a stance on the issue.

Djufrie Asmoredjo of PPP said that his faction campaigned for
an allotment of only 10 seats for ABRI in line with the 1998 MPR
decree stipulating a gradual expulsion of ABRI from the House.

PPP has called for an end to ABRI's political role, including
its presence in the House. ABRI has come under fierce criticism
over rampant human rights abuses, especially in Aceh, East Timor
and Irian Jaya, committed during the New Order era.

Buttu also said that PDI wanted the next House to have 600
total seats, PPP wanted 500, while Golkar and ABRI proposed 550.
The current House has 500 seats.

Buttu said that PDI wanted more seats so that more political
parties would have the opportunity to be represented.

"The number of political parties has reached more than 100,
while prospective voters are expected to double in the next
elections because of an increased population," he said in a break
of the session of the working committee. The committee was
deliberating the draft law on the structures and functions of the
House, the Assembly and provincial and regency legislatures here
on Thursday.

He said that all factions agreed to reduce the number of seats
in the Assembly -- currently 1,000 -- but were still divided over
the exact size.

"PDI proposes 750 seats, the Golkar and ABRI factions suggest
650 seats, while the PPP faction proposes 600 seats," he said,
adding that the committee was expecting a long deliberation over
this issue.

Meanwhile, the working committee on the general election
agreed to set a two percent electoral threshold, rather than the
10 percent stipulated by the draft law.

Harminto Agustono of the PPP faction said that only political
parties which win two percent of the eligible seats will be
allowed to participate in the 2004 general election.

They would be considered to have failed to win public support,
but could merge with others in order to contest the next poll.

The working committee deliberating the draft law on political
parties agreed that parties may name their own ideology, but are
obliged to accept, and mention in their statutes, Pancasila as
the state ideology.

Yahya Zaini of Golkar said the agreement showed much progress.
Political parties can now base themselves upon religions or other
ideologies. This move is in accordance with the 1998 MPR decree
to lift the 1983 MPR decree which required political parties and
mass organizations to accept Pancasila as their sole basis. The
draft law requires all political parties to accept Pancasila as
the sole state ideology. (rms)