KPU forms team to end row over seats allocation

JAKARTA (JP): The General Elections Commission (KPU) formed a team on Monday to formulate a decree on allocation of 120 remaining House of Representatives seats in a last ditch effort to settle months of fighting over vote-sharing agreements between eight Muslim-based parties.

KPU chairman Rudini said the eight member team would confirm an earlier stipulation on the method employed by the National Elections Committee (PPI) in calculating the seat allocation for the eight parties which have struck a vote-sharing deal, widely known as stembus akkord, before the June 7 elections.

The team will have only 24 hours to finish its job and is expected to present its draft before a plenary KPU meeting on Tuesday.

The vote-sharing agreement was signed by United Development Party (PPP), Crescent Star Party (PBB), Nahdlatul Ummat Party (PNU), Muslim Community Awakening Party (PKU), Indonesian United Islam Party 1905 (PSII-1905), Islamic Community Party (PUI) and Indonesian Masyumi Political Party (PPIM).

Rudini said the PPI was expected to start calculating the allocation of the remaining seats on Wednesday.

The team is made up of Mustafa Kamal of Justice Party (PK), Midian Sirait of Love the Nation Democratic Party (PDKB), both representing parties which signed vote sharing agreements, Hasballah M. Saad of National Mandate Party (PAN), Sri Bintang Pamungkas of Indonesian Democratic Union Party (PUDI), and Bennie Akbar Fatah of National Labor Party (PBN).

The government is represented by Oka Mahendra, while Djuhad Mahja of United Development Party (PPP) and Bambang Mintoko of Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) represented parties which were involved in the deliberation of the 1999 General Election Law.

According to KPU's stipulation, the eight Muslim-based parties will earn 39 seats. But the parties challenged the stipulation, claiming they should have gained 19 seats more according to their own calculation.

When PPI finishes the seat allocation, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle is expected to top the tally with 154 seats, followed by Golkar Party with 120, PPP 59, National Awakening Party (PKB) 51, National Mandate Party (PAN) 35 and PBB 13.

Error-ridden

Bintang, one of KPU members who opposes the method to allocate the left-over seats, suggested that the commission refer to the Article 69 of the 1999 Elections Law, which stipulates that all votes must be divided entirely into seats.

"It's better to distribute those remaining seats among parties contesting the elections, or leave the seats vacant instead," Bintang said.

He renewed his criticism against a KPU rigid decree which rejects any vote-sharing agreement made after the polls. "Even the 1955 general elections allowed the agreement to be made after the polls," he said.

Bintang said the present row had added insult to injury to the error-ridden KPU and PPI. He labeled the June 7 polls as "grand political laboratories where political experiments took place."

"Unfortunately, not all experiments were successful and prone to deadlocks," Bintang said.

Hasballah concurred and nominated Bintang as chairman of a committee which seeks to review all election regulations. The review will be submitted to the next House, Hasballah said.

Meanwhile, the Indonesian Council of Ulemas (MUI) objected KPU's decision to allocate 15 People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) seats to Muslim groups because it was made without consulting the council.

"KPU acted unfairly and took the decision beyond its right," said MUI secretary, Nazir Adlani. He said the council had not yet received the copy of KPU decision.

KPU has allocated 20 seats for religious communities, 15 of which go to Islamic organizations, two to Protestant organizations, and one seat each to Catholic, Buddhist and Hindu communities. (05)