House urged to soon revise election laws

Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The General Election Commission (KPU) has urged the House of Representatives to soon make partial revisions to existing electoral laws following the recent constitutional amendment that approved a direct presidential poll in 2004.

"Partial revisions of the law are needed so that all parties can begin to work to prepare for the 2004 general elections," Mulyana W. Kusumah, a KPU member, told The Jakarta Post on Monday.

Earlier on Nov. 9, the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) finished its Annual Session with several agreements on constitutional reforms, including one on the direct presidential elections.

However, the MPR failed to agree on whether a second round of presidential elections was needed if the presidential and vice presidential candidates won less then 50 percent of the votes. Debate was instead postponed until next year's Annual Session.

The Assembly also approved the setting-up of the Regional Representatives Council (DPD).

Mulyana said the partial revisions of the election law should be finished by April next year, so the KPU would be able to draw up various supporting regulations, and have sufficient time to educate the public.

"It is not necessary for the House to wait until further amendments are completed to revise the laws so it can produce better electoral regulations for the 2004 general elections," Mulyana said.

The partial revisions should cover at least four crucial topics, including the criteria of political parties ineligible to contest the 2004 elections, and the requirements of presidential and vice presidential candidates, he said.

The revisions should also include the mechanisms required to form election commissions at both provincial and regency levels, and the electoral system - proportional or district, he added.

"All these matters should immediately be deliberated by the House and the government," Mulyana said.

He said deliberating the revisions soon would give more time for the House and the government to discuss the material contents of the laws by considering submissions from various relevant groups.

Chairman of the House's legislation body, Zein Badjeber, had earlier said it was unlikely the lawmakers would be able to devote time to discussing the revisions in the near future as they were yet to conclude debate on many other bills.

He said the House needed to set up a special committee to discuss revisions of the election law.