More parties demand fairer election rules

More parties demand fairer election rules

JAKARTA (JP): More political parties have called for equal
chances to contest next May's general election.

Alexander Litaay of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI)
under Megawati Soekarnoputri, Nurdin Purnomo of the Bhinneka
Tunggal Ika Party (PBTI), Ponijan Liauw of the Chinese-Indonesian
Reform Party (Parti), Supeni of the Indonesian National Party
(PNI) and Sri Bintang Pamungkas of the Indonesian Democratic
Union Party (PUDI) suggested on Saturday that there should be no
restrictions for parties to take part in the elections.

They were responding to the government's bill on general
elections, particularly requirements for parties to contest
elections. The bill is among three draft laws submitted last week
to the House of Representatives by the government.

Among the requirements to contest elections is one that states
that a party must have branches in at least 14 provinces or have
one million registered supporters. About 80 parties have been set
up since May.

"A party's eligibility and acceptability should be determined
by the result of the general election itself," PDI's Litaay told
The Jakarta Post. He added that more than 7 percent of the vote
would be needed by a party before it could be represented in the
legislative body.

"If there should be a requirement that a party must have
registered supporters of its own, the required number of party
supporters should be reduced," he added. On Friday, National
Mandate Party (PAN) chairman Amien Rais suggested that the
required one million signatures be reduced by half.

However, Nurdin of the Bhinneka Tunggal Ika Party objected to
a minimum requirement of party supporters. He added that it would
also be illogical to require a party to have regional offices in
at least 14 provinces.

"What about a party with more than one million supporters that
are all concentrated in one province?" he asked.

Similarly, senior politician Supeni, one of the few women
party leaders, said the government had no right to limit the
number of election contestants. Only voters should determine the
fate of a party, the PNI chairwoman said.

Sri Bintang, who recently received a political pardon from
President B.J. Habibie, said the requirement to obtain one
million signatures was merely aimed at destroying new political
parties, because it was not easy to collect such a huge number of
signatures.

"Even in Russia, the government only requires 50,000
signatures for new political parties," he said, adding that all
parties should be allowed to participate in the elections.

Sri Bintang's PUDI has formed a coalition with 14 minor
parties. Another 13 parties have formed the Alliance of Reform
Parties.

Cost

Ponijan Liauw, one of the founders of the Chinese-Indonesian
Reform Party (PARTI), said the bills should be opposed because
most new parties would not be able to fulfill the requirements.

"With the obligation to collect one million signatures, it
means that if one form costs Rp 100, we would need at least Rp
100 million," Ponijan said. "It is very clear that the government
wants to maintain its power," he said.

The party officials also disagreed with clause 14 of the bill
on political parties, which limits the amount of annual donations
to Rp 5 million (US$454.50) from individuals and Rp 50 million
from corporations or institutions.

"Such a regulation would benefit Golkar only," Litaay said,
echoing an earlier opinion voiced by PAN's secretary-general,
Faisal Basri. Litaay said further that the ruling political
organization already had billions of rupiah which it inherited
from Golkar's previous leadership.

Nurdin, meanwhile, demanded a transparent audit on Golkar's
financial status prior to the elections.

Supeni said the bills were solely aimed to ensure Golkar's
victory in the next general election.

The officials' opinions, however, differed in reference to
clause 10 in the bill on political parties, which does not allow
some four million members of the Civil Servants Corps (Korpri) to
become members or officials of political parties.

While Litaay said civil servants should be free to vote for
any party, he agreed that civil servants should ask for unpaid
leave, as mentioned earlier by Ryaas Rasyid, who heads the
government team for the drafting of political laws.

Ryaas had also said civil servants would be free to vote for
any party, freeing them of the tradition that they must vote for
Golkar. But Nurdin said members of the civil servants corps must
be prohibited from joining any political parties.

The officials also differed in opinion on the Armed Forces'
(ABRI) representation in the House of Representatives, and on
military members' right to vote. The bill, like the previous law,
bans ABRI members from voting.

"ABRI members should be given an equal chance like other
parties' members to elect and to be elected," Supeni of the PNI
said. No one, including ABRI members, should be allowed to be
appointed and should earn their seats, she said.

Because of its "historical" role, the bill allocates 55 seats
in the House for ABRI members.

"However, when they are elected they must choose to continue
either their military career or political career," Supeni said.

Nurdin said ABRI should not be allocated any seats in either
the House or the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR).

With such limitations and the maintained allocation of ABRI,
Sri Bintang said of the bill: "The government interference is
very clear, the dominant role of ABRI is still there. They just
want to hold the elections under the abusive New Order system."
(imn/prb)