PPP seeks House support for electoral reform
PPP seeks House support for electoral reform
JAKARTA (JP): The United Development Party (PPP) faction received orders from the PPP's executive board yesterday to seek support in the House of Representatives for its "initiative bill" to amend the country's electoral laws.
A team from the Moslem-based party, led by Ali Hardi Kiaidemak, submitted the document to the House's PPP faction, whose chairman, Hamzah Haz, promised to consult other factions and make the bill "a collective product".
"We thank the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) faction for its support of this initiative bill, and we'll proceed by consulting other factions," Hamzah was quoted by Antara as saying.
For the past several months, PPP chairman Ismail Hasan Metareum has complained of fraud during elections, and pledged to push for reforms.
During the Jan. 5 celebration of the party's 23rd anniversary, Ismail Hasan said the executive board would instruct its legislators to push for the establishment of laws to improve general election procedures.
The PDI, the other minority party that shares the PPP's complaints, supported the move, but the ruling Golkar was not thrilled.
Golkar deputy chairman Ismael Hassan said changes in the electoral laws will "destroy the implementation of the 'fiesta of democracy' which has been proceeding well" in Indonesia.
The term "fiesta of democracy" is used widely here to describe the general elections.
Antara quoted Ismael as saying in Pontianak on Thursday that Golkar does not have the slightest intention to change the electoral laws. "These 'fiestas of democracy' we have held were the... safest in the world," he said.
The DPR's fourth faction, the Armed Forces, took a more cautious stance. Chairman Suparman Achmad, as quoted by Media Indonesia, suggested yesterday that the PPP postpone their initiative.
"It would be better if the PPP used the available time to prepare for the approaching general elections (in 1997)," he said, adding that it would take at least 16 months for the DPR to deliberate such a bill.
"And it does not even have the government's approval," he pointed out. "If the government objects, then the bill won't be deliberated."
Hamzah tried to justify the PPP's move yesterday on the grounds that the 1988 and 1993 Guidelines for State Policies call for better general elections and greater roles for the election contestants, namely the PPP, PDI, and Golkar.
Besides, he said, "the PPP will not push for anything strange or completely new".
"What we will be proposing, instead, are issues which are often discussed and problems for all of us," he said. "There's nothing in the bill which could disrupt the general elections because it's for the good of us all."
Reforms
According to DPR statutes, a bill to initiate an amendment of laws must be submitted by at least 20 legislators from more than one faction.
The PPP will push for reforms on the preparations, the implementation and the supervision of general elections.
President Soeharto instructed the Indonesian Institute for Sciences (LIPI) last year to examine the electoral system and propose changes if necessary. Among the subjects studied was whether Indonesia should replace the existing proportional representative system with a first-past-the-post or district system.
While Golkar said it was ready to compete based on any system, both the PPP and PDI have maintained that a stronger monitoring mechanism must be implemented for general elections to proceed fairly. The two minority parties also insist that more efforts be made to prevent cheating and manipulation.
Meanwhile, LIPI chairman Soefjan Tsauri said on Thursday that the institute is ready to submit the results of its study to President Soeharto.
"We are just waiting to meet the President," Soefjan said. (swe)