Letters: Two-party model

The hurly-burly of the country's legislative and presidential elections have ended peacefully. A plenary meeting by the General Elections Commission (KPU) decided on the weekend to "ignore" the Supreme Court's ruling on the KPU's second-round count for the distribution of legislature seats.

That means the KPU's decision stands and the Democratic Party wound up on top with 150 seats, an increase of almost 300 percent from the 2004 electoral results. The Golkar Party and the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) meanwhile plunged into second and third place with 107 and 95 seats respectively.

Most Islamic parties did not fare any better. The relatively well established parties such as the United Development Party (PPP), the National Awakening Party (PKB), the National Mandate Party (PAN), the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), the Crescent Star Party (PBB), and the Reform Star Party (PBR) suffered comparable electoral defeats.

Two newly formed parties, the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) and the People's Conscience Party (Hanura) were the last two of the nine parties to meet that threshold out of more than 35 nationally. SBY won in a single round while the Democratic Party and its coalition of the aforementioned Islamic parties will hold 314 seats, or a majority of the Houses' 560 seats.

Meanwhile, the PDI-P and Gerindra could consider forming an opposition with the Golkar Party and the Hanura Party. If this takes place, we may see a new two-party system of government in Indonesia not unlike the US, UK or Australia. All parties besides the nine that made the threshold should consider dissolving instead of wasting any further time or money.

The nine major parties meanwhile should consider merging into two for the better political future of this country.

M Rusdi

Jakarta