LIPI identifies many flaws in political bills
Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Political observers with the National Institute of Sciences (LIPI) urged the House of Representatives (DPR) on Tuesday to give the public a chance to critique and give inputs to the bills on elections and political parties which they say have many flaws.
They said public participation was also needed to enrich the bills as well as to prevent House factions from manipulating them for their own political interests.
"We hope the House will be open to criticism and inputs from the public, especially non-governmental organizations and students, to channel the people's political aspirations," said LIPI researcher Ikrar Nusa Bakti.
Fellow LIPI researcher Syamsuddin Haris added that the legislators should pay serious attention to the deliberation of the bills which will be the legal basis for the 2004 General Elections.
Both researchers were commenting on the substance of two bills on political parties and general elections. The government has yet to submit the bill on the composition and structure of the People's Consultative Assembly, the House, the provincial and regency legislatures. The bills will likely include direct presidential election if the Assembly agrees to include the issue in the upcoming Annual Session.
Syamsuddin emphasized that the bills designed by a team from the home ministry had too many flaws.
Instead of providing a term of reference for direct presidential elections, the bill on general elections merely provides guidance for legislative elections.
Syamsuddin said this was not in line with the third amendment to the Constitution that was endorsed last year. According to the third amendment general elections to elect legislators at the House, Assembly and provincial and regency legislatures are to be held in conjunction with direct presidential elections.
Syamsuddin also criticized the bills for limiting the number of legislative seats to 550, saying there were no legal or pragmatic reasons for the figure.
He said that the number of seats should be put in the bill on the composition of the MPR, the DPR, the Regional Legislative Council (DPRD), and the Regional Representatives Council (DPD).
In addition, Syamsuddin proposed that the General Election Commission (KPU) should be independent and its secretariat must be run by an independent secretary-general who is loyal to the commission leadership, instead of the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The issue of the KPU leadership has been the main concern of pro-reform activists.
They say all the regulations in the bill will be rendered useless if the KPU is not independent.
Syamsuddin feared that the article in the election bill that stipulates that the secretary-general will be from the home ministry could create anomalies in the election process at either the central or regional level.
"We must ensure that the bills will not revive the influence of the government on the political parties," Ikrar added, referring to the practice during the New Order regime.
The House has set up two special committees to deliberate the two bills but the deliberation is expected to take a long time to complete.