Page 233 - BUKU A CENTURY OF PARLIAMENTARY LIFE IN INDONESIA

A CENTURY OF PARLIAMENTARY LIFE
IN INDONESIA

The electoral system carried out in 1987 was the
same as the 1982 election, which used a propor-
“The stipulation of tional representation system with a list system.

Pancasila as the sole In addition, the 1987 general election used a new
law, namely Law Number 1 of 1985 concerning
principle caused General Elections. In principle, the new law gen-

fundamental changes in erally did not have any significant changes com-
pared to the previous law, except regarding the
political parties which equality of Pancasila principles and the addition

previously were identical of the number of members in the DPR, from 460
people in the 1971, 1977 and 1982 elections, to 500
with certain ideologies.” people in the 1987 election.

In a controlled atmosphere due to the implemen-
tation of the Pancasila policy as the sole princi-
ple, the 1987 general election was held. Golkar,
as the political engine of the New Order government, welcomed the 1987
general election with optimism. Meanwhile, PDI and PPP tended to be
pessimistic because the single principle policy was certain to obscure
their identity and became a challenge in itself to overcome it.

The stipulation of Pancasila as the sole principle caused fundamental
changes in political parties which previously were identical with certain
ideologies. In the 1987 general election, the organizations participating
in the elections must be able to find and develop a new identity that no
longer relied on ideological and primordial ties that previously became
their identity. For PPP and PDI, the 1987 general election presented its
own challenges.

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