House, govt debate political bill

JAKARTA: Legislators and the Home Minister debated on Tuesday the need for the General Elections Commission (KPU) to verify any substitution of legislators.

The bill on composition of legislative bodies, outlined by the ministry, states that House leaders must submit the names of representative legislators and the candidates that will run in the 2004 elections to the KPU for verification before the election.

During Tuesday's meeting, the legislators and the minister also discussed the conditions for substitution of legislators.

The bill says that a substitution can be made only if the remaining legislative tenure is not less than six months. But some legislators proposed just three months. -- JP