Makeup of election body revealed

Makeup of election body revealed

JAKARTA (JP): The government's five seats on the soon-to-be-
established National Election Committee will represent the
Ministry of Home Affairs, the Armed Forces, the Ministry of
Justice and the Attorney General, according to Minister of Home
Affairs Syarwan Hamid on Wednesday.

Provincial and regency election committees will also have the
same composition, he added after addressing a meeting with the
country's 27 provincial governors.

The names of the representatives will be immediately forwarded
to President B.J. Habibie for approval, the Director General of
Public Administration and Regional Autonomy of the home affairs
ministry, Ryaas Rasyid said. The officials declined to name the
officials.

The ministry's Secretary-General Feisal Tamin declined to
comment when asked whether he would be on the committee.

Ryaas said further there would be two officials from his
ministry, and one each from the other institutions.

Syarwan, also chairman of the General Elections Institution
(LPU) is set to hand over tasks to the independent National
Election Committee on March 1. In previous elections the minister
of home affairs and other officials and their subordinates sat on
all committees, national or regional.

Among other things the minister had told the governors they
were to refrain from abusing power and not side with any
particular political party in the upcoming elections.

"We should not repeat the mistakes of the past."

Separately in a discussion on social revolution here secretary
general of the National Mandate Party (PAN) Faisal Basri said he
was informed that Feisal would be among the committee members,
together with a member of the government's team which drafted the
political bills. He demanded that government officials on the
committee should not be allowed to dominate the process.

"The formation of the 'Team of Eleven' (preparing groundwork
for the committee) is already fair and independent; why don't
they do the same thing for the committee?" Faisal said.

The new law on elections only states that the committee
comprises five government representatives and one representative
of each political party contesting the elections, slated for June
7.

While the law states that the government representatives have
equal voting weight to the parties, whose fixed number is yet to
be determined, Syarwan has assured critics that the officials
would remain neutral.

Separately at the National Elections Institute, a
representative of the International Foundation for Electoral
Systems was quoted as saying the above chapter could reduce the
committee's independence.

A member of the Team of Eleven, Kastorius Sinaga, who quoted
the representative, said the team was doing its best to make sure
the committee would be independent.

Among other things it would discuss with the government the
possibility of having its members sit on the committee, he said.
(rms/edt/01)