Politicians debate ABRI seats in the House
Politicians debate ABRI seats in the House
By Wahyudi M. Pratopo
JAKARTA (JP): Politicians are debating how many seats in the House of Representatives the Armed Forces (ABRI) should retain following suggestions by President Soeharto and a high ranking officer that its 100 seats could be reduced if necessary.
B.N. Marbun of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) even suggested that the military give up all of the 100 seats because its participation in politics is already guaranteed through its representation at the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR).
Yusuf Syakir of the United Development Party welcomed the idea that ABRI is prepared to accept a smaller number of seats in the 500-strong House for the sake of democracy.
Yusuf said that whether ABRI has 50 or 100 members in the House, it has the same effectiveness. "So, why not give up 50 seats and give more opportunity to the political parties."
However, in contrast to Marbun, he said ABRI must continue to be represented in the House of Representatives (DPR).
Riswanda Imawan, a staff lecturer at Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta, agreed that the number of ABRI's seats in the House should be reduced to allow for the development of democracy in Indonesia, Antara reported.
Riswanda, a non-permanent lecturer at the Military Academy in Magelang, Central Java, however, argued that ABRI must be compensated for this reduction so that it still retains some control over the House to ensure national stability.
He suggested that the number of ABRI's seats be reduced to 60, but that it be given veto rights in the House on issues concerning national stability and unity.
Last week President Soeharto commissioned the Indonesian Institute of Sciences to study alternatives to the current electoral system of proportional representation. Soeharto also asked the institute to look into the presence of ABRI in the House.
Under a 1985 law, the military, whose members do not vote, is guaranteed 100 seats in the House.
A number of ABRI representatives in the last decade surprised political commentators when they took the initiative on various controversial issues, including the debates on political openness and human rights.
At the same time, the military's presence in the House has been questioned. A 1982 law gives legitimacy to ABRI's playing a socio-political role in Indonesia.
Following Soeharto's order to the science institute, ABRI Chief of Socio-Political Affairs Maj. Gen. Moch. Ma'ruf said on Thursday that the military is prepared to accept a cut in the number of House seats if it is in the interest of the nation's progress.
"If that's what the people want, then it's okay," Aminullah Ibrahim, a House representative from the ABRI faction, said in support of Ma'ruf's statement.
"The president must have seen that the political condition in this country has improved. That's why he ordered the institute to conduct the study," Aminullah said.
Marbun, Yusuf and Aminullah were all of the opinion that the proposal to cut the number of ABRI's representation in the House reflects the increasing political stability of the country.
Marbun said ABRI should focus its political role in the People's Consultative Assembly, which is a higher level institution than the House.
The Assembly meets every five years to elect a president and vice president and to draw up the guidelines of state policy.
He said the 100 seats ABRI has in the House has made the military "over-represented" given that its size is less than one million. In contrast, the other 400 House members represent some 190 million people.