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.