Experts urge legislators to revoke MPRS decree<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Legal experts urged legislators yesterday to
\nrevoke the Provisional People's Consultative Assembly (MPRS)
\nDecree No. XX\/1966, thereby paving the way for constitutional
\namendments.<\/p>\n
Sri Soemantri of the Bandung-based Padjadjaran University and
\nKoesnadi Hardjasoematri of the Yogyakarta-based Gadjah Mada
\nUniversity advocated that the decree, which stipulates the
\ngravity of laws and decrees, should be rescinded in the special
\nsession of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) slated here
\nfor November.<\/p>\n
They suggested the MPR should then introduce a new decree on
\namendments.<\/p>\n
The decree needs to be revoked, they argued, because it placed
\nthe 1945 Constitution as the highest legal document and above any
\nMPR decree.<\/p>\n
Debates on changing the Constitution have been gaining
\nmomentum, with many contending that numerous failings of the past
\n30 years have been due to rigidly upholding the document or
\nmanipulating its contents to suit a particular end.<\/p>\n
\"We should not blame it all on our Constitution, but rather
\npropose amendments to articles which have the potential of being
\ninterpreted by rulers to serve their abuse of power interests,\"
\nKoesnadi said.<\/p>\n
\"Amendments make it possible to make the Constitution keep up
\nwith the times,\" he said in the seminar titled \"What's Wrong with
\nOur Country?\" held by the Indonesian Society for Transparency
\nhere yesterday.<\/p>\n
Soemantri used the U.S. as comparison. \"In America, the
\nConstitution remains unchanged, but there have been 27 amendments
\nto date.\"<\/p>\n
Soemantri maintained that any amendment to the 1945
\nConstitution would need both the consent of the people and a
\npolitical decision from the government.<\/p>\n
The speakers identified Article 7, on the tenure of the
\npresident, as in pressing need of amendment.<\/p>\n
Both Soemantri and Koesnadi agreed that an amendment should
\nlimit the number of presidential terms to two.<\/p>\n
The existing article states that a president can be \"reelected
\nafter his or her presidential tenure ends\", without citing a
\nspecific limit to reelections.<\/p>\n
Many have said the article's ambiguity allowed president
\nSoeharto to serve seven consecutive terms. (aan)<\/p>",
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