PKB to propose direct presidential election

PKB to propose direct presidential election

JAKARTA (JP): The National Awakening Party (PKB) announced on
Monday that it would bring the proposed establishment of a
constitutional commission and direct presidential election before
the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) for approval during the
Annual Session in November.

Yusuf Muhammad, the chairman of the PKB faction at the
Assembly, said approval of the proposed constitutional commission
and direct presidential election at the Annual Session would be a
strategic and important step, as it would be a comprehensive
amendment to the Constitution and would return sovereignty to the
people.

"We want a comprehensive amendment to the Constitution to be
completed in 2002 and a direct presidential and vice presidential
election to be implemented in 2004," he said at a news
conference.

He said that PKB, in its meeting on Saturday, recommended that
the constitutional commission consist of 99 members -- 25 from
the MPR, 20 experts, 20 non-governmental organizations (NGOs)
representatives and 34 regional representatives.

The offer for the establishment of an independent
constitutional commission came from President Megawati
Soekarnoputri and has won the support of many NGOs and political
experts, while most factions at the Assembly have rejected the
idea.

Yusuf, who is also a member of PKB's advisory council, said in
regard to the amendment to the Constitution, his party was of the
opinion that the Assembly should be a joint session between the
House of Representatives and regional representatives, instead of
a permanent institution.

"Under the joint session concept, MPR would have the main
tasks of formalizing a new Constitution, swearing in a new
president and vice president and impeaching a president, while
the presidential election would be returned to the public," he
said.

The Golkar Party, United Development Party, National Mandate
Party and other minority parties threw their weight behind the
proposed direct presidential election in 2004 while the
Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), a major
faction at the Assembly, was firm on maintaining the current
mechanism.

Dimyati Hartono, a legislator of PDI Perjuangan, said his
party wanted to maintain the indirect presidential election as it
was stipulated by the Constitution.

"We see nothing wrong with the present mechanism. The problem
is that in past presidential elections, the MPR has abused the
Constitution and people's sovereignty," he said.

Dymiati, who is also a professor of law at Diponegoro
University in Semarang, Central Java, called for an in-depth
study on the direct presidential election system and its
political impact so that once the nation adopted it, it would
last a long time.

From Yogyakarta, Assembly Speaker Amien Rais reiterated that
his party and many other factions at the Assembly would back a
direct presidential election in 2004.

"I think most of the Assembly legislators want a direct
presidential election in 2004," he said.

Amien said the direct presidential election would be a step
forward for Indonesia's democracy. "How nice it would be if there
is a directly elected president in Indonesia in 2004," he said.

Arief Budiman, a political observer from Melbourne University,
said Indonesia should conduct the direct presidential election in
2004, despite risking conflict among party supporters.

"I'm not really sure if a direct election in 2004 would
run well and generate a perfect result, of course. But
we have to brave this test to reach democracy. I'm sure
in the long-run it will be done better," he said after a
political discussion at Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta on
Monday.

He said a direct presidential election in 2004 would be
vulnerable to conflict and even ethnic and religious
manipulation.

"We should not delay democracy for that reason. The government
should improve the public's capacity in curbing conflict," he
said, adding that people were becoming more mature in politics.

From Purwokerto, Central Java, Rubiyanto Misman, the rector of
Soedirman University, said the nation was not fully prepared for
a direct presidential election in 2004 while the current indirect
presidential election could no longer be maintained because of
the public's weak confidence in the current Assembly.

"The urgent issue is to change the political elite's mentality
and to encourage them to play their role fairly and honestly," he
said, adding that it would take 20 years before Indonesia could
conduct a direct presidential election. (rms/23/44/45)