Parties united in demand to keep proportional system

Parties united in demand to keep proportional system

JAKARTA (JP): The three political parties represented in the
House of Representatives were united on Monday in demanding the
retention of the proportional representation (PR) voting system
for next year's general election in preference to the government-
proposed district system.

The Armed Forces (ABRI) faction, which will be allocated seats
without contesting the general election, expressed no opinion on
the issue as the House began discussing the nitty-gritty of the
new political bills.

The government-drafted bill on the election law proposes the
use of an election system in which the majority of the 500 House
seats will be contested in every district and only a small
minority allocated through PR to give small parties some
representation.

The United Development Party (PPP) said the PR system was
never properly practiced during the 32-year regime of former
president Soeharto.

The system was perverted and the regime manipulated the
elections to give it constitutional legitimacy, the PPP faction
said in a House special committee meeting discussing the bills.

The government-supported Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI)
argued for the retention of the PR system on the grounds that the
nation did not have sufficient time to prepare for a different
system if the general election was to be held by June at the
latest, as the government has proposed.

Golkar argued for the PR system, but one in which every
candidate be assigned to a regency rather than a province as in
past elections.

Golkar won all six elections held under Soeharto using a
system clearly designed to give it the maximum advantage, while
PPP and PDI always came a distant second and third respectively.

Next year, however, the three parties will have to contest the
general election against dozens of new parties that have been
established since Soeharto's resignation in May.

The House's deliberations are open to the public, including
representatives of the newly established political parties.

The House has set a Jan. 28 deadline to complete the three
political bills, on elections, political parties and the
composition of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), House of
Representatives and regional legislative councils.

Minister of Home Affairs Syarwan Hamid, representing the
government at Monday's session, said he would leave the factions
alone to deliberate and change the details of the bills.

The most important issue for the government, he said, was that
the elections be "fair and just" and held in a "direct, general,
free and confidential" manner.

"We want a strong DPR, and thus a legitimate government,"
Syarwan told the committee, adding that every point in the bills
was open for discussion.

The special committee consists of 52 representatives from
Golkar, 16 from PPP, five from PDI and 14 from the ABRI faction.

The three political parties represented in the House called
for a reduction in the number of seats allocated to ABRI from the
55 proposed in the bill.

Golkar suggested 25 seats, while PPP argued for between 10 and
15. The PDI faction did not give a specific number.

The ABRI faction, which currently has 75 House seats, did not
propose any figure but asked for a stipulation in the bill
stating that the ABRI commander be given the sole responsibility
for selecting the military's representatives in the House.

PPP fought hard to end ABRI's right to sit in the House during
the Special Session of the MPR earlier this month and forced the
Assembly to vote on the issue, albeit in vain.

All four House factions agreed to push to insert a
stipulation to allow political parties to establish branches at
village level.

ABRI warned that "political parties should use this
opportunity with wisdom".

During Soeharto's regime the rural areas were ruled off-limits
to all political parties except Golkar as part of the
government's "floating mass" concept. PPP and PDI were only
allowed to set up branches at regency level.

Golkar begged to differ from the government view that civil
servants be allowed to contest the election on condition that
they be relieved of their government posts if they get elected.
The dominant faction also said that civil servants should be
allowed to sit on political parties' executive boards.

PPP and PDI endorsed the suggestion to bar civil servants and
ABRI members from joining political parties.

"They have to be neutral," PPP argued. "This must be practiced
as soon as possible without having to wait for another law to
enforce it."

Golkar endorsed the government proposal that a political party
must set up branches in at least 13 provinces to contest the
election.

PDI asked that this stipulation be reviewed given the little
time available for new parties to meet the requirement before the
election.

PPP also wanted a reduction in the number of MPR members to
600 from 1,000 "in order to minimize members who are appointed".

It said the MPR should consist of the 500 House members, 54
regional representatives and 46 representatives of societal
groups.

PPP and PDI suggested that Cabinet ministers be barred from
sitting in the MPR to prevent a conflict of interests, given that
as ministers, they are serving the president, who in turn is
accountable to the MPR. (aan)