Parties set to vie for MPR regional representative seats

JAKARTA (JP): Due to time constraints, city councilors here will likely agree to retain the previous City Council's internal regulation for the election of the capital's five representatives to the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR).

"We'll suggest that the new City Council adopt the previous council's internal regulation in electing the five city representatives to the MPR," Maringan Pangaribuan of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) said on Thursday.

Similarly, Tubagus Abbas Saleh Makmun of the National Awakening Party (PKB), M. Soewardi of the National Mandate Party (PAN) and Chizbiyah Rochim of the United Development Party (PPP) said their respective factions would propose at an upcoming council meeting that it adopt the previous council's regulation.

The council is expected to elect the five Jakarta representatives at a full sitting on Sept. 15. It is expected to establish the five council commissions and their leaders next Monday, while the council speaker and three deputy speakers would be elected next Wednesday.

If adopted, the council's internal regulation will rule that each of the council's 10 factions -- the nine parties winning seats in the June 7 elections and the military faction -- is allowed to propose a maximum of five candidates for the city's representatives at the MPR. Each representative should be agreed to by at least two-thirds of the 85 councilors.

Dominating the city council with 30 seats, PDI Perjuangan aims to get at least three of the five tickets to the MPR.

"The three tickets are meant to secure the presidential nomination of party chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri in the MPR," Pangaribuan, secretary of the party's Jakarta chapter, said.

"We would concentrate on how to get the three tickets, rather than on the election of the council's leaders," he said.

As the winner of the June 7 polls, PDI Perjuangan will have the seats of one of the council's faction leaders and will head one of the commissions.

Tubagus Abbas of PKB, however, said it was inappropriate for PDI Perjuangan to demand three seats at the MPR.

"It's greedy and arrogant," Abbas, chairman of PKB's Jakarta chapter, said.

The National Mandate Party's Jakarta chapter chairman, M. Soewardi, said he could tolerate PDI Perjuangan taking two of the five seats.

"It'll be difficult for PDI Perjuangan to get the three tickets as other parties also want them," Soewardi said. (jun)