'Open-list' elections approved

Kurniawan Hari and Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Each faction in the House of Representatives (DPR) agreed to adopt an "open-list" election system for the 2004 elections, paving the way for voters to directly choose individual legislative candidates to represent their aspirations at the House.

The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), the biggest faction in the House with 153 members, announced on Tuesday that it had agreed to endorse the open-list election system, making it the last party to accept.

Under the open-list system, voters would choose legislative candidates by name and face, not political parties, as it is currently done. Each party then appoints whomever it sees fit in the current system.

With the new system, all factions shared the same view that political parties running in any future elections should provide the names and pictures of legislative candidates on election day.

PDI Perjuangan legislator Agustin Teras Narang, who is also chairman of a House Special Commission deliberating on the election bill, said that his faction had accepted the combination of a proportional system with an open-list of candidates.

Teras Narang's statement, however, came just minutes after PDI Perjuangan Secretary General Soetjipto stressed that his party would stick to the current, choose-the-party-only system, arguing that the voters were more accustomed to it and not ready for anything new.

"Let's be realistic. Even in a direct system, voters will only look at the party symbol, not its legislative candidates," Soetjipto opined after a weekly meeting with Chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri at the party's headquarters on Tuesday.

But according to Teras Narang, the faction's acceptance of the direct elections was made after a series of internal discussions and then approval from Megawati later on Tuesday.

Golkar, the second biggest faction at the House with 120 members, had already accepted the open-list system last week.

Previously, the two parties were the main opponents of the new system, which was initiated by the home affairs ministry.

PDI Perjuangan deputy secretary general Pramono Anung said that his party would like to ensure the public's awareness about the new system and its advantages for them.

"So long as the people understand and are fully aware of their choice of legislators to represent them in the House, our party is ready to comply with the system," he said.

Baharuddin Aritonang of Golkar, Ali Masykur Musa of the National Awakening Party (PKB), and Sayuti Rahawarin of the Daulatul Ummah Unity (PDU) all expressed appreciation about PDI Perjuangan's acceptance of the system, saying it would speed up the deliberation of the much-awaited election bill.

All nine factions in the House continued lobbying on other crucial issues of the bill, including the electoral threshold and the campaigning by state officials.

Although PDI Perjuangan had agreed with the new system, Teras Narang said his faction would propose some revisions to the system.

"We agree with the system proposed by the government, but we will submit corrections and technicalities (to enable the people to better understand the system)," he said without elaborating.

The House is currently discussing the general election bill as part of four political regulations needed ahead of the 2004 election, when Indonesia will hold its first ever direct presidential election.

The House has passed the political party bill, while the government has submitted bills on direct presidential election, and the composition of People's Consultative Assembly.