Observers suggest separate election for the regions

Observers suggest separate election for the regions

Edith Hartanto and Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Political observers are urging legislators to introduce a
separate national and regional election system in the election
bill.

Adi Abidin of the Asia Foundation has proposed a three-tiered
system with elections at the regency level be held every three
years, provincial level every four years and national level every
five years.

"We suggest the House of Representatives (DPR) insert a
chapter on a separate poll system that will shorten the period
between regional elections," he told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

The House is now deliberating the government-proposed election
bill to replace Election Law No. 3/1999 up to July 19. The bill
comprises 148 chapters and experts have contested a score of
issues in the bill in which the election system is only one of
them.

Deputy chairman of General Election Commission (KPU) Ramlan
Surbakti shared the idea, saying that KPU had actually proposed
it to President Megawati Soekarnoputri in February.

"The proposal has been put in the KPU's draft of the election
bill but the Ministry of Home Affairs omitted it without any
explanation," he said.

One of the alternatives proposed by KPU was that the country
can hold Regional Representatives (DPD), Regional Legislative
Council (DPRD) and DPR elections first, followed by the national
election for president, he said.

Like Adi, Ramlan also believes that the regional elections
should be held within a different time frame adding that Adi's
time line could be one alternative.

Ramlan said KPU planned to again table the proposal in a
hearing on the election bill with the House on July 11.

Both Adi and Ramlan said they believe the new system would not
increase the cost of the elections significantly.

Adi said the national budget could be split in two, one for
elections at the national level and the other for the regional
level.

Ramlan said that the cost should not be a problem since the
regional chapters of KPU held the regional polls.

"Since the structure, office equipment plus the staff of
regional KPU offices are already available, all that is needed is
the ballot papers and fee for the poll organizers," he said.

The separate system will support the regional autonomy policy
as it will encourage local legislators and regional
administrators to be more accountable, said Adi who is a senior
official for decentralization and local governance at the
foundation.

The Autonomy Law came into effect on Jan. 1, 2000 following
mounting pressures from people in the regions to manage their own
territories following the fall of president Soeharto in 1998.

The Asia Foundation was one of the facilitators of the 1999
General Election and is preparing to assist several preelection
schemes for the 2004 General Election.

Ramlan said separate elections had to be executed in a direct
election system to ensure the quality of legislators, regents and
governors.

So far, the general election is carried out every five years
from the regency up to the national level based on the
proportional system, in which people pick political parties.

Regency and provincial legislators then choose regents and
governors respectively and national legislators chose the
President.

Adi said a five-year gap between elections was too long for
legislators and regents in a regency as it would only make them
enjoy their posts without doing any important programs.

But if the regency election is carried out every three years,
local legislators and regents would be forced to carry out their
promises in a shorter period, he said.

Separate elections would also allow regeneration of national
leadership since there would be many regional figures produced by
the process and at the same time people in the region would be
able to focus and work on regional issues, Adi said.

If the government is consistent about developing the regions,
they could start it with the new system after the 2004 poll, he
said.