Kurniawan Hari

Kurniawan Hari
The Jakarta Post
Jakarta

The deliberation of the long-awaited review drafts of political
laws requiring stricter conditions to contending the 2004 general
election, will likely raise heating debates between the House of
Representatives and the government and, even protests, especially
from minority political parties since only a few parties have met
the electoral threshold.

The draft law on general election requires minority parties to
have at least two percent of 500 seats at the House, or to make
alliance "to have passport" to contend the next elections.

Should the electoral threshold is endorsed, only six of 48
parties that contended the 1999 general election will be allowed
to join in the next elections. The six are the Indonesian
Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), Golkar, the United
Development Party (PPP), the National Awakening Party (PKB), the
National Mandate Party (PAN) and the Crescent Star Party (PBB).

"The legal requirements is unfair and undemocratic. We will
strive to seek better clause during the deliberation," said
Gregorius Seto Haryanto, secretary-general of the Love the Nation
Democratic Party (PDKB), told The Jakarta Post here on Sunday.

He said his party whose faction has merged with the National
Awakening Party (PKB) faction at the House would lobby other
minority parties to prevent the legislative body from endorsing
it because the nation was in a transition to the democracy.

"We do not object to the stricter requirements after all
political parties have settled. We are learning the democracy,"
he said.

PDKB is one of 26 minority parties forming minority factions
in the legislative body.

Sutradara Gintings of the Justice Unity Party (PKP) which only
secured only four seats at the House gave cooler response, saying
that all political parties should understand the consequence of
the requirements.

"Political parties that do not meet the requirements have to
understand the consequence. They could either make a coalition or
set up a new political party with its all consequences," Gintings
told The Jakarta Post here.

Gintings, however, refused to reveal which action his party
would take to cope with the condition.

Hidayat Nurwahid, chairman of the Justice Party (PK) which
formed the reform faction with the National Mandate Party (PAN)
confirmed that Islamic minority parties would likely make
alliance to gain more seats in the next elections.

Minister of Home Affairs Hari Sabarno called on minority
parties to make alliance should they did not meet the electoral
threshold to contend the next elections.

He said that ideally, the nation should impose a three percent
of threshold to have lesser parties contending the elections.

The draft laws also impose stricter legal and administrative
requirements for new parties to be eligible for the elections.

According to the draft law, new political parties are required
to have branches in two-thirds, or 20, of 30 provinces and a
certain number in that provinces' regencies. Each chapter is
required to have at least 1,000 members proven with their own
membership cards and the new parties are obliged to have their
own permanent offices.

Andi A. Mallarangeng, a political observer, said he was of the
opinion that the number of political parties contending the next
elections should be limited under twenty by imposing stricter
requirements.

"The electoral threshold of two percent is too soft. The
quality of democracy is not based on the numerous number of
parties contending elections," he said, citing Germany imposed
five percent for parties to contend the elections.

The imposition of stricter requirements for establishment of
new parties was needed to make them more independent, both
financially and administratively, he said.

He added that the government should not provide financial aids
for parties to force them to build a good communications with
their supporters.

Arbi Sanit, a political expert of the University of Indonesia,
concurred and said that the house and the government should be
stricter to help educate both parties and the people on the
democracy.

"If any political parties reject the requirements, they should
adopt the district electoral system," he told the Post.