Amien says no deadlock at MPR Annual Session<\/p>\n
Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Despite some articles that have yet to be decided upon, the
\nPeople's Consultative Assembly (MPR) expressed a commitment on
\nTuesday that it would finalize the last part of the latest
\nconstitutional amendment process during its Annual Session,
\nscheduled to take place from Aug. 1 through Aug. 12.<\/p>\n
Assembly speaker Amien Rais brushed aside fears of possible
\ndeadlock in the Annual Session, saying that a series of meetings
\ninvolving the 11 factions had almost produced a consensus.<\/p>\n
"I am optimistic. God willing, that the amendment process will
\nfinish (in August) as the factions have almost reached a
\nconsensus (on the unsolved issues)," Amien told the press after
\npresiding over a meeting to hear the latest progress in the
\namendment progress and discuss the preparations for the Annual
\nSession in August.<\/p>\n
Only 69 of the Assembly's 90-strong working body, locally
\nknown as Badan Pekerja, showed up at the hearing.<\/p>\n
Apart from dealing with the amendment process, the Annual
\nSession is scheduled to issue a decree on the guidelines for
\neconomic recovery, which is expected to serve as a reference for
\nthe government.<\/p>\n
Chairman of the Assembly's ad hoc committee for constitutional
\namendment Jakob Tobing acknowledged that there were still several
\narticles that still had not been agreed upon.<\/p>\n
Among the problematic articles were the structure and
\ncomposition of the Assembly, second round elections, the
\nabolition of the Supreme Advisory Council (DPA), the
\nincorporation of a mandatory Islamic law requirement into the
\nConstitution, and the national monetary unit.<\/p>\n
The issue of a second round presidential election has become a
\nmajor concern as such an arrangement could prove prone to back-
\ndoor wheeling and dealing.<\/p>\n
The proposed constitutional amendment requires presidential
\nand vice-presidential nominees to garner more than half of the
\noverall national vote before they can be sworn in as the
\npresident and the vice-president.<\/p>\n
Assembly factions have yet to reach agreement on what should
\nhappen if the nominees fail to collect half of the overall
\nnational vote.<\/p>\n
One camp insists on giving the Assembly the authority to
\ndecide the crucial matter, while another suggests the holding of
\na second round, or runoff, election.<\/p>\n
A member of the ad hoc committee, Baharuddin Aritonang,
\nconfirmed that all the factions had agreed on a formula that
\nwould avoid a deadlock on the second round issue.<\/p>\n
According to Baharuddin, the presidential election would be
\nheld between three and six months after the election of members
\nof legislative bodies at both the national and regional levels.<\/p>\n
He said that the committee would outline a formula under which
\nonly political parties or a coalition that collected 35 percent
\nof the national vote would be allowed to nominate presidential
\nand vice-presidential candidates.<\/p>\n
"So, a second round in a presidential election won't be
\nneeded," Aritonang said, adding that the clause could be inserted
\nin the political laws.<\/p>\n
He added that the issue of the Assembly's structure could be
\nresolved through a vote.<\/p>",
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