KPU forms team to end row over seats allocation

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)