PDI demands changes in electoral law

JAKARTA (JP): The minority Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) vowed yesterday to press ahead with its demand for revision of the electoral law, which it considers "undemocratic".

"We failed during the last attempt at the 1993 People's Consultative Assembly meeting, but we will try harder in 1998," PDI deputy chief Soetardjo Soerjogoeritno said in Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara, on Wednesday night.

The PDI's rival party, the Moslem-oriented United Development Party (PPP), has also been demanding the same revision of the electoral law.

The PPP has been lobbying PDI and the other two political factions in the House of Representatives -- the ruling Golkar party and the Armed Forces -- for support of its electoral bill.

Both PPP and PDI say that the electoral law favors Golkar, which has adamantly rejected any idea to revise the law on the grounds that it is "still relevant".

Soetardjo said the PPP has rejected PDI's proposal to draft a joint revised version of the electoral law.

"The changes that the PPP wants to make in the electoral law are the same as those the PDI wants to see," Soetardjo was quoted as saying by Antara.

Both minority parties demand that all political parties contesting in the general elections are involved in every stage, right from the planning up to the ballot counting.

They envision an end to the President's "monopoly" in organizing the election for the sake of fairness. Currently, the President is chief of Golkar's board of patrons.

They also demanded that the election day be held on a holiday in order to avoid rigging. For example, civil servants -- who are chief supporters of Golkar -- could cast their ballots twice: at home and in the office.

Support

Under the law, any initiative to make a new law or revise an old one should have the support of at least two House factions and 20 house members before the issue can be discussed.

Adding to this complication, the law will never pass without the approval of all political factions and the government. Over the past three decades, almost all bills were sponsored by the government.

Meanwhile, in Central Java, PPP politicians are intensifying their attack on Golkar's alleged efforts to win the 1997 election.

After the local government in Pemalang regency required that citizens paint their homes, pedicabs and everything yellow -- the color of Golkar -- officials have now distributed Golkar stickers.

"Thousands of houses in Petarukan subdistrict are bearing the stickers," said Harminto Agustono, deputy secretary of the PPP's Pemalang chapter, yesterday.

The yellow stickers, eight centimeters wide by 12 centimeters long, contain a message asking people to vote for Golkar next year, Harminto said.

"The stickers show that Golkar has breached the law, because it started campaigning far ahead of schedule," he added. (pan/har)