Legislators prefer proportional system

Legislators prefer proportional system

Kurniawan Hari and Jupriadi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta/Makassar

The House of Representatives (DPR) looks set to stick with the
existing proportional electoral system, which has been widely
criticized for hampering the accountability of legislators.

Head of the House special committee deliberating the election
bill, Agustin Teras Narang, said adopting the government's
proposal of a combined proportional system and an open-list of
candidates was "just too complicated".

Teras, of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI
Perjuangan), said on Wednesday the new system would cause
difficulties, particularly for those in remote areas.

Voters would have to use bigger ballot sheets consisting of
the names of candidates that people in rural areas would be
unable to identify, he said.

In the past voters have only been able to select a symbol of a
political party on the ballot sheet.

Teras said the prevailing opinion during discussions with
fellow legislators had led to an agreement to keep the existing
system, which gives a political party's executives the power to
determine their preferred legislators.

Legislator Chozin Chumaidy of the United Development Party
(PPP) said that his faction would take the government's proposal
into "serious consideration".

"That proposal will be an alternative system," said Chozin,
deputy chairman of the special committee.

The statements come just one day after four political and
legal experts suggested the House adopt an electoral system that
promotes the accountability of legislators.

The experts said the proposed revision to Law No.3/1999 on
elections should enable voters to elect trustworthy
representatives.

The government has proposed a combination of a proportional
system and an open-list of candidates in its draft law.

The current electoral system has created a gap between
legislators and their constituents, a situation that has prompted
legislators to ignore the people and pander to their own party's
interests.

The House's failure to set up an inquiry into the Rp 40
billion financial scandal implicating Golkar chairman Akbar
Tandjung early this year is just one of many examples of how
politicians tend to pursue their own interests at the expense of
the public's.

Both Teras and Chozin refused to give further explanation,
saying that the official stance of their respective factions on
the government's proposal would be announced on Thursday during a
meeting with home minister Hari Sabarno.

Chozin said the PPP faction would focus on issues relating to
the electoral system, electoral threshold, General Election
Commission (KPU), supervision and campaigning.

All the House factions are expected to deliver their views on
Thursday and the government is scheduled to respond on Monday.

"We hope by Sept. 12 all factions have submitted their lists
of input on the election bill," Teras said.

Meanwhile the Coalition for a New Constitution on Wednesday
criticized the lack of equality in the adoption of the bicameral
parliamentary system.

"People's sovereignty is not reflected in the system since
there is no equal power between the regional representative
councils (DPDs) and the House," the coalition said in a
statement.