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.