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)