'President can't reject elected legislators'

JAKARTA (JP): The President cannot reject legislative candidates if their personal documents are incomplete, a constitutional law expert said yesterday.

Yusril Ihza Mahendra said the President's endorsement of 1,000 House of Representatives and People's Consultative Assembly legislators was a formality.

Yusril was commenting on yesterday's announcement that a screening committee would examine the administrative credentials of elected legislators.

The 15-strong committee, set up by the General Elections Institute, will make its recommendations on Sept. 15. The President would then approve candidacy.

"The right to drop legislators is in the hands of each political party contesting the general election and the Armed Forces," Yusril said. "Consequently, the President cannot refuse signing the list of elected legislators."

Chief Justice Sarwata is scheduled to swear in the 1,000 legislators on Oct. 1.

The 500 House legislators are automatically members of the Assembly. The remaining 500 are selected from various professions and groups by the country's 27 provinces. The Armed Forces, whose members do not vote, has 75 House seats reserved for it.

Yusril said the committee would verify the previous screening conducted by the institute prior to the announcement of candidates.

"Who knows if a second examination will find a legislator has double citizenship or links with a banned organizations," he said.

Political scientist Muhammad A.S. Hikam, from the National Institute of Sciences, said the committee was no cause for concern if it dealt only with administrative issues.

"Administrative order should apply to elected legislators because they cannot do bureaucratic jobs themselves," he said.

Hikam suggested that a better political system would give legislators' more independence, including the power to draw up and manage their own budget.

"For the House to carry out its legislative duties effectively it should have control of finance," he said.

A special committee formed to deliberate the House internal rule has supported a proposal from the United Development Party (PPP) faction to give the House authority to set and manage its own annual budget.

The House committee, however, agreed that the budget would remained part of the State Budget. (amd)