'Open-list' elections approved

'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.