Reduction In Number Of Political Parties Is Enough

Jakarta, Nov 11 (Antara) - The simplification of the Indonesian political scene by reducing the number of political parties permitted to participate in the elections to six or seven parties is sufficient to accommodate the people`s interests, a legislator said. Vice Chairman of Commission II of the House of Representatives Abdul Hakam Naja agreed with the concept of reducing the number of political parties participating in the election. "Yes I agree with this simplification. I think six or seven parties participating in the elections is enough," Hakam stated when contacted by Antara here on Saturday, Nov. 9. Hakam noted that six or seven parties are sufficiently representative of the different groups or circles in Indonesia. The government and the House of Representatives is gradually simplifying the political process for parties participating in the 2014 elections by increasing the parliamentary threshold. The parliamentary threshold in the 2004 elections was set at two percent, while in 2009, it increased to 2.5 percent, and in the 2014 election, the parliamentary threshold will be increased to 3.5 percent. According to the General Election Commission (KPU) list, 12 political parties have so far registered for the 2014 election, where 36 parties had participated in the 2009 elections. However, Hakam Naja regretted the changes made to the parliamentary threshold at every election. "We are not thinking about making a blueprint, so we don`t have to change the regulations at each election," he said. Hakam also claimed that the 3.5 percent parliamentary threshold can be used for the 2019 General Election, so it will not be necessary to amend the parliamentary threshold again. "So the regulation does not need to change for each election, which makes it look as if there is no consistency or long-term consideration," he remarked. Hakam later added that the parliamentary threshold should not be too high because such a threshold would reduce the diversity in the representation of the Indonesian people. "So there must be a limit to this simplification; it should not be too high as in Turkey, with its 10 percent parliamentary threshold," he explained. Hakam pointed out that Turkey has the highest parliamentary threshold in the world. At a rate of 10 percent, this policy has resulted in only three or four political parties qualifying to participate in the elections. "If this pattern was practiced in Indonesia, then the election would be less colorful," stated Hakam.