Don't' delay MPR session, experts say<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Law and political experts have warned that a
\ndelay to the scheduled General Session of the People's
\nConsultative Assembly (MPR) in November would wreak havoc to
\npolitical life.<\/p>\n
Constitutional law experts Sri Soemantri and Satya Arinanto,
\nand political observers Hermawan Sulistyo and Marsilam
\nSimanjuntak were contacted by The Jakarta Post separately on
\nSaturday and Sunday, and concluded the postponement was
\npolitically motivated.<\/p>\n
They commented on President B.J. Habibie's signal on Friday
\nthat the session to elect a president and vice president would be
\nmoved to December due to delayed subsequent stages of the June 7
\npolls.<\/p>\n
"The plan justifies suspicion once aired by proreform figures
\nthat the general election was not a way out of the nation's
\nplight because it did not meet the requirement for impartiality,"
\nHermawan said.<\/p>\n
He said the delay could pose a threat to national unity as
\nwell as economic recovery, which many have said relied much on
\npolitical stability.<\/p>\n
"One month of uncertainty will lead to long consequences,
\nranging from sporadic mass brawls between supporters of rival
\npolitical camps to the withdrawal of foreign investors," he said.<\/p>\n
The other three experts accepted the delay due to various
\nobstacles in the organization of the general election, which
\nprecedes the session, but said one month was too long.<\/p>\n
Habibie was quoted by Deputy Speaker of the House of
\nRepresentatives (DPR) Abdul Gafur as saying that the anticipated
\ndelay of the General Session was based on the General Elections
\nCommission's (KPU) decision to postpone the induction of DPR\/MPR
\nmembers.<\/p>\n
In its letter to the DPR secretary-general dated June 18, the
\nKPU said the first stage of the MPR session would begin on Oct. 1
\nfollowing the induction of the 700 members of MPR. Members of the
\nlaw-making body will reconvene to elect a president and endorse
\ndecrees deliberated during the first phase of the General
\nSession.<\/p>\n
The highest legislative body comprises 500 DPR members plus
\n135 regional representatives and 65 appointees representing
\nvarious interest groups.<\/p>\n
"I suspect that the planned delay of the MPR General Session
\nis part of efforts to foil the event itself," Soemantri of the
\nBandung-based Padjadjaran University's School of Law said.<\/p>\n
Satya, secretary of the University of Indonesia's School of
\nConstitutional Law, said the planned delay was part of efforts to
\nhelp incumbent Habibie win his full term.<\/p>\n
Hermawan agreed and added that ruling Golkar Party, which is
\nalmost certain to suffer an unprecedented loss at the polls,
\nwould benefit from the delay the most, at the expense of
\nIndonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), which
\non Sunday still led the ballot count.<\/p>\n
"Golkar, which has already named Habibie its presidential
\ncandidate, can buy time to seek more support," he said.<\/p>\n
Satya said a delay should not exceed two weeks.<\/p>\n
"In order to avoid a delay, the government and the KPU can
\nshorten the period to be spent for administrative scrutiny of the
\nHouse, Provincial Legislative Council (DPRD I) and Regional
\nLegislative Council (DPRD II) members," he said.<\/p>\n
Marsilam concurred, saying there were many alternatives to
\nhelp the KPU and government cope with technical difficulties
\nstemming from the slow vote count without having to delay the
\nGeneral Session.<\/p>\n
After addressing a seminar on the post-election period he said
\nhe found the planned delay represented a "tug of war" between
\nopposing interests in the presidential election.<\/p>\n
Habibie took over from Soeharto, who resigned on May 21 last
\nyear. The MPR certified Habibie's position in a Special Session
\nof the 1,000-member MPR in November, also last year.<\/p>\n
State budget<\/p>\n
Hermawan said a delay would play havoc to the government plan
\nto change the start of the fiscal year back to Jan. 1 from April
\n1.<\/p>\n
"The government will have no time to draw up the state budget.
\nMore dangerously, if Habibie wins the presidential election, his
\ngovernment will face a deadlock in the deliberation of the state
\nbudget proposal at the DPR, which will see the opposition party
\nprevail," Hermawan said.<\/p>\n
According to law, the government is allowed to readopt the
\nprevious state budget if a new one is undecided. "But it is too
\nrisky because the assessment in the 1999\/2000 state budget will
\nnot fit economic assumptions for next year," he warned.<\/p>\n
Soemantri, Satya, and Marsilam criticized the government for
\nattributing its plan to delay the MPR General Session to the
\nKPU's decision to postpone the announcement of the poll results.<\/p>\n
"What the government needs to do is to find ways to complete
\nthe national vote count and announce the poll results on time,"
\nSoemantri said.<\/p>\n
The KPU is scheduled to announce the general election results
\non Thursday.(imn\/amd)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/dont-delay-mpr-session-experts-say-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}