Researchers appointed to study poll system
Researchers appointed to study poll system
JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), upon the instructions of President Soeharto, has formed a team of researchers to study the current electoral system and possible alternatives to address its shortcomings.
LIPI spokesman T.J.C. Pasaribu, told reporters yesterday that Mochtar Pabottingi, a social scientist and the chair of the institute's center for political studies, has been appointed as chairman of the team.
The team will consist of two groups of researchers, one entrusted with studying the election system and the other with the representation of the Armed Forces in the House of Representatives.
LIPI is still in the process of selecting the members of each team.
The first group has already met and started preliminary discussions on the scope and limitations of the study. Among the subjects to be discussed are the current system of general election, the role of political parties, public perception of the current system, and the degree to which the electoral system should be adjusted.
"The team will also evaluate past general elections and hold hearings with various sources, from political parties to non- governmental organizations," Pasaribu said.
The study, due to start next month, is expected to last for one year.
President Soeharto last week ordered LIPI to search for the "best electoral system" in response to critics who charge that Indonesia practices pseudo democracy.
The United Development Party announced last night that it has established a team to conduct a study of its own. Chairman Ismail Hasan Metareum said that the greatest obstacle so far encountered in the country's efforts to have fair elections is not the system itself, but the way it is implemented.
"Our past experiences showed that very often our hard work in preparing (to compete) in general elections did not yield satisfactory results because of other factors," he said, though he would not elaborate.
The ruling political grouping Golkar has responded to the development by announcing its own plan to conduct a similar study.
The minority Indonesian Democratic Party has also backed Soeharto's proposal for the study, hoping that the study will bring about results that will help promote democracy in Indonesia. (swe)