House urged to soon revise election laws
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.