Desy Nurhayati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

If legislative seats are awarded to candidates who win the most votes, experts say, the election bill could provide fertile ground for Indonesia's democracy to evolve.

If lawmakers were committed to a more democratic election, former House of Representatives speaker Akbar Tandjung and Reforms Institute executive director Yudi Latif told Antara news agency Friday, they should endorse a bill that determines which candidates are elected based on votes they win, not the party list.

"Our electoral system will be more democratic if the legislative seats are chosen by voters' instead of going to the party favorites," former Golkar Party leader Akbar said.

The House delayed passing the election bill Thursday following a deadlock on how to determine elected candidates and the collection of residual votes. Lawmakers will vote on these two matters on Monday.

All factions have agreed any candidate who wins at least 30 percent of the vote distribution number (the total number of eligible voters in the electorate, divided by the number of seats available) will automatically secure legislative seats.

However, the two largest factions at the House, Golkar and the Indonesian Democratic Party, as well as the National Awakening Party, have insisted the remaining seats be distributed based on the party list.

Yudi said, for the sake of fairness and constituents' support, only candidates who secure the most votes deserve legislative seats.

"If a governor or regent is elected for winning the most votes, why aren't legislative members elected in the same way?" Yudi asked.

Such a mechanism, he said, would force politicians to come down to grassroots, instead of focussing on building relationships with party leaders.

Indonesia's legislative elections have traditionally only rewarded party loyalists, and only candidates at the top of party lists have secured legislative seats.

Political scholars have suggested the mechanism needs to change, citing a growing public distrust of lawmakers, not to mention their corruption-tarnished image.

Perception index surveys conducted by Transparency International over the past two years reveal the House and political parties were widely regarded as the most corrupt institutions in Indonesia.

Separately, the government said it could understand the House decision to delay the decision Thursday and would look forward to the bill's endorsement on Monday.

State Secretary Hatta Radjasa said, while the government would have preferred the House's unanimous approval of the bill, it respected the decision to hold the disputed articles to vote.

"We understand there are still several crucial matters that have not been agreed on among House factions, and we appreciate the ongoing democratic process for the sake of a better election," Hatta told reporters at State Palace.

"Of course, we all hope for a better, cheaper and more transparent system in the next election," he added.

He said voting should be the last resort to endorse the bill, in line with the democratic political system that Indonesia uses.