New faces dominate the House

M. Taufiqurrahman, Jakarta

After more than two month's of delay, the General Elections Commission (KPU) announced on Tuesday the final results of the April 5 legislative elections, along with the names of the new legislators who will sit in the House of Representatives (DPR) and the Regional Representatives Council (DPD) for the 2004-2009 term.

The decision confirmed last month's rulings by the Constitutional Court in a number of electoral disputes.

Following what many say is the unsatisfactory performance of the current crop of House members, there is some hope that things might improve as 60 percent of the new legislators announced by the KPU are freshmen.

The Democratic Party and the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), who took 56 and 45 seats respectively, supplied the largest batches of newcomers.

Among the new faces were a number of pop culture celebrities, such as television soap opera actor Dede Macan Yusuf (PAN), and comedian Qomar and former pageant queen Angelina Sondakh of the Democratic Party.

Old faces include Theo Sambuaga and Paskah Suzetta of the Golkar Party, and Soetardjo Soerjogoeritno and Sukowaluyo Mintoraharjo of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI- P).

The Commission will announce the composition of the provincial and local legislative councils by Sept. 30 at the latest after fully considering the rulings of the Constitutional Court in the electoral disputes that came before it.

KPU chairman Nazaruddin Sjamsudin said on Tuesday that the 550 House and 128 DPD candidates would be sworn in as members of the new bicameral legislature on Oct. 1.

Among the parties affected by the Constitutional Court rulings was the Golkar Party, which had taken 128 seats according to the KPU count. However, it lost one of these seats to the Pioneer Party in the West Irian Jaya electoral district. The upstart Democratic Party also lost a seat to the National Mandate Party (PAN) in Central Sulawesi.

Also in West Irian Jaya, the Christian-based Prosperous Peace Party (PDS) took the only seat that had been won by the United Democratic Nationhood Party (PPDK).

In the DPD, the KPU ruled that the seat previously awarded to the younger brother of Amien Rais, Dahlan Rais, should be given to Achmad Chalwani.

The KPU will forward the list of the new House and Regional Representatives Council members to the State Secretary for the approval of the President in three day's time. The President is expected to issue a presidential decree sometime before Oct. 1 formally appointing the new legislators.

Analyst Daniel Sparingga of the Surabaya, East Java-based Airlangga University said the performance of legislators did not depend on their experience. "What counts the most is ... their commitment to heeding the views of their constituents," he said.