Less workload prompts MPR to cut short Annual Session<\/p>\n
M. Taufiqurrahman and Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) looks set to cut short
\nits upcoming Annual Session due to a lighter workload compared to
\nprevious sessions.<\/p>\n
Unlike the past five years, when the Assembly was working on
\nconstitutional amendments, the 700-strong lawmaking body will
\ntackle low-key issues.<\/p>\n
MPR Speaker Amien Rais said on Wednesday this time around the
\nAnnual Session was unlikely to draw much public attention given
\nthe mundane issues it would discuss.<\/p>\n
"The whole session could be completed in no more than five
\ndays," Amien said.<\/p>\n
Originally the session was scheduled to run from Aug. 1 to
\nAug. 10, costing taxpayers Rp 20 billion (US$2.4 million), around
\nthe same amount spent last year.<\/p>\n
For this year's Annual Session, the MPR has three main agenda:
\nto hear progress reports presented by the President, the House of
\nRepresentatives (DPR), the Supreme Audit Body (BPK) and the
\nSupreme Court, to review over 100 obsolete decrees enacted
\nbetween 1966 and 2002 and to establish the constitutional
\ncommission.<\/p>\n
There will not be a separate commission to respond to the
\nprogress reports from the state institutions.<\/p>\n
A member of the special ad hoc committee tasked with preparing
\nthe Annual Session schedule, Rully Chairul Azwar, said only two
\ncommissions would be needed during the session.<\/p>\n
"Commission A will focus on the constitutional commission and
\nCommission B will concentrate on the review of obsolete decrees,"
\nhe told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
As far as the obsolete decrees are concerned, the Assembly
\nwill be facing tough debate over the decree on impeachment of
\nfounding president Sukarno and on the banning of the Indonesian
\nCommunist Party (PKI) and Marxism and Leninism.<\/p>\n
The 2003 Annual Session will not be the last for the MPR
\nlegislators of the current tenure. Next year, it will convene for
\nthe last time to hear accountability reports from the President,
\nDPR, BPK and the Supreme Court. It will also hear the report from
\nthe constitutional commission on its achievement during its first
\nsix months of existence.<\/p>\n
2. 1 x 45<\/p>\n
American journalist faces jail but says not guilty<\/p>\n
Prosecuted into two months imprisonment for immigration offenses,
\nan American freelance journalist defended he did not commit any
\nacts or activities violating Indonesia's immigration law.<\/p>\n
Chief prosecutor Efdal Efendy requested to the panel of judges
\nto sentence the defendant two months imprisonment because he has
\nbeen convincingly and legally proven to have violated Article 51
\nof Law No. 9\/1992 on immigration.<\/p>\n
"In his status as foreign citizen, Nessen failed to report on
\nthe change of his address in Indonesia to the local immigration
\noffice. He also did not have a permission from the Indonesian
\ngovernment to work in the country," he said.<\/p>\n
He said Nessen was guilty of failing to produce his passport
\nand visa when questioned by authorities. He also did not report
\nto police when he entered Aceh, did not have permission to work
\nfrom the manpower ministry, and did not have a press card from
\nthe Indonesian foreign ministry and information ministry, Effendi
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The prosecutor also read the testimony of four government
\nofficers from the Foreign Ministry, Manpower and Transmigration
\nMinistry, Justice and Human Rights Ministry and the office of
\ninformation minister who could not attend the court session.<\/p>\n
According to the testimony of Heri Sudarmanto, chief of the
\nservice section for foreign workers at the Manpower and
\nTransmigration Ministry, confirmed that the defendant has never
\nrequest labor permission from the Indonesian government.<\/p>\n
Nessen was arrested June 24 when he turned himself in to the
\narmy after traveling with rebels of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM)
\nfor three weeks.<\/p>\n
The military said they suspected him of spying for the rebels,
\nwho have been fighting for an independent homeland in the oil-
\nand gas-rich province.<\/p>\n
Nessen and his lawyer Amir Syamsudin who directly after the
\nreading of the submission made their own defense in the court
\nsession, denied the charges as irrelevant.<\/p>\n
"Nessen is not proven to have committed faults indicted by the
\nprosecutors and I request the honorable judges to acquit him of
\nthe charges," said Amir<\/p>\n
3. 1 x 45<\/p>\n
Violence against press rising: Rights body<\/p>\n
Although the iron fist of the New Order regime has ended, rights
\nviolations and the repression of the press continues in various
\nforms, ranging from intimidation and sexual harassment to
\nphysical threats and has also led to the murder of press members.<\/p>\n
The National Commission on Human Rights' (Komnas HAM) team to
\nmonitor the freedom of the press disclosed on Wednesday that the
\npolice had failed to curb the violent incidents even though
\ncomplaints had been filed by press institutions.<\/p>\n
"Violence against journalists occurs not just in conflict-torn
\nareas such as Aceh and Papua, but also in other places," the
\nchairman of the team, Anshari Thayib, said.<\/p>\n
Referring to several cases of violence against the press, the
\nteam said that it would review press law No. 40\/1999 to ensure
\nthat journalists were free in their provision of educative news
\nto the people.<\/p>\n
The cases included the present restrictions imposed by
\nmilitary authorities on the coverage of the ongoing war in Aceh
\nprovince, and the recent assault of Tempo reporters and an editor
\nby angry protesters inside the Central Jakarta police station.<\/p>\n
"Fanaticism sometimes motivates people to attack the media,"
\nsaid Anshari, referring to the attack on Radar Malang daily by
\nthe Arema Malang soccer club's fans, and the intimidation of
\nRakyat Merdeka daily's freedom of press in 1999. He said police
\nhad failed to take action against the perpetrators.<\/p>\n
The police were also criticized following the recent attack on
\nthe Tempo (magazine) office by about 200 people claiming to
\nrepresent Tommy Winata, a businessman widely known for his close
\nrelations with high ranking officers of the military and police.<\/p>",
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