Anita Rachman – The Golkar Party will not get its way on the contentious legislative threshold, officials from smaller political parties have vowed.

Marwan Jafar, factional chairman for the National Awakening Party (PKB), said on Friday that it was sure the threshold – the minimum percentage of nationwide votes needed to earn a seat in the House of Representatives – would not be set any higher than 3 percent.

"It will be discussed in the joint secretariat," he said, referring to the Democratic Party-led ruling coalition, which inked a new strategic agreement on Monday. "All members are fine with 3 percent; only Golkar [is insistent on 5 percent]."

House factions had earlier agreed to raise the legislative threshold to 3 percent from the current 2.5 percent. But Golkar criticized the decision at Thursday's House Legislation Body meeting, saying it wanted the limit doubled and wanted it to be put to a vote at the body or at a House plenary session.

The lack of agreement stems from the myriad proposals put forward by different parties. Golkar and the opposition Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), the second- and third-biggest factions at the House, are seeking a doubling of the current threshold to 5 percent.

The Democrats want it to be set at 4 percent, while the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) is pushing for between 3 percent and 4 percent. The five smaller parties all want it to stay at 2.5 percent.

The threshold increase has been criticized by smaller parties as a way for bigger parties to monopolize the legislature, while proponents argue it will simplify the party system. Only nine parties met the 2.5 percent threshold in the 2009 polls, with 29 others failing to gain a seat in the House.

Marwan said he was sure the 3 percent threshold would also be supported by the smaller parties outside the coalition, the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) and the People's Conscience Party (Hanura).

M. Romahurmuziy, deputy secretary general of the United Development Party (PPP), said he was unconcerned by Golkar's proposal to put the issue to a vote. Golkar and the PDI-P together hold 200 of the 560 seats in the House.

"[The coalition] has agreed on 3 percent," he said. "If Golkar insists on 5 percent, then let's see at the House plenary session. I am sure they won't get their way."

But Golkar legislator Nurul Arifin said her party would continue to fight to have the 5 percent threshold pushed through. "That's what the people want, therefore we should fight for it," she said. "If the Democrats are with us, we could make it 5 percent."

Nurul said 36 percent of the House wanted 5 percent, 26 percent wanted 4 percent, and 37 percent wanted 3 percent. She added that she was confident the Democrats would back a simpler party system because that would better support the presidential system.

Meanwhile, Saan Mustopha, the Democrat's deputy secretary general, said it would listen to all sides of the debate. "The most important thing is not the number, but the arguments why we should go with a certain limit," he said.

Saan said the issue would be raised at the joint secretariat's next meeting.