Legislative seats of ABRI less after 1997 polls
Legislative seats of ABRI less after 1997 polls
JAKARTA (JP): The number of Armed Forces (ABRI) seats in the House of Representatives will be slashed from 100 to 75 after the 1997 general election, a senior military official confirmed yesterday.
Maj. Gen. Syarwan Hamid, assistant to ABRI's chief of socio- political affairs, said that the government was working to finish the bill by the upcoming 1997 election.
"We expect the bill to be passed as planned," he told reporters after attending a bi-monthly meeting between the Supreme Advisory Council and ABRI leaders.
Government officials discussed the plan to cut the number of ABRI seats in the legislative body with House speaker Wahono last month.
The plan to reduce the number came after President Soeharto ordered the Indonesian Institute of Sciences in February to conduct research on a more suitable electoral system.
Under a 1985 law, the military is guaranteed 100 non-voting seats in the House while a 1982 law gives legitimacy to ABRI's role as a socio-political player in Indonesia.
At present, ABRI holds 100 of the 500 DPR seats. The remaining 400 seats are contested in a general election, once every five years, by Golkar, the United Development Party (PPP) and the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI).
For some time now, the military's presence in the House has widely been questioned by political observers.
B.N. Marbun of the Indonesian Democratic Party said the military should give up all of 100 of its seats because its participation in politics is already guaranteed through its representation at the People's Consultative Assembly.
He said that ABRI is "over-represented" in the House given that the military number less than one million. In contrast, the other 400 House members represent some 190 million people.
ABRI's presence in the House has often come into question, particularly because the Armed Forces does not take part in the election. It's current representation is higher than that of the PPP (62) and the PDI (56).
A number of ABRI representatives in the last few years surprised political commentators when they took the initiatives on various controversial issues such as debates on political openness and human rights.
Situation
Syarwan said that reduction of ABRI seats in provincial and regency legislative councils would be considered later if the situation requires the government to do so.
"We'll have to see how things develop first," he said.
Legislators from the Indonesian Democratic Party and the United Development Party have been insisting that ABRI should also reduce their representation in the provincial and regency legislative councils.
Syarwan argued that theoretically it was impossible to give up all ABRI seats in the House.
"ABRI is represented in the House because it has no right to vote in the general election," he said.
He said, however, that it is always possible to review the number of ABRI representatives, depending on the prevailing political situation.
"We may even consider to give up all those seats if the people wish us to do so," he said.
He denied speculation that ABRI would also reduce the number of its personnel holding posts in various ministries.
"ABRI personnel at the ministry are there at the relevant ministers' requests," he said. (imn)