Megawati asks for PDI legislators exclusion<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Megawati Soekarnoputri asked the chief justice
\nyesterday to exclude 16 Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI)
\nrepresentatives from being installed as legislators today.<\/p>\n
In a statement sent to the mass media, Megawati, who was
\nousted as PDI chairwoman, said induction of the party
\nrepresentatives would tarnish the reputation of the People's
\nConsultative Assembly and the House of Representatives.<\/p>\n
\"We should avoid public opinion that discredits the
\nlegislative bodies for unconstitutional and undemocratic
\nprocedures,\" the statement says.<\/p>\n
Chief Justice Sarwata is scheduled to swear in today 1,000
\nlegislators in a ceremony attended by President Soeharto. The
\nlegislators will serve until 2002.<\/p>\n
Megawati was toppled in a government-backed, breakaway
\ncongress in June last year. The congress reinstated Soerjadi as
\nthe party's chairman. Megawati has been pursuing a legal battle
\nwith her rivals.<\/p>\n
The PDI obtained a record-low 11 House seats in the May 29
\ngeneral election, down from the 56 it gained five years ago. It
\nreceived an additional five seats in the Assembly.<\/p>\n
The party unveiled over the weekend its team lineup for the
\nAssembly's general session, headed by its secretary-general Buttu
\nHutapea. It also named Budi Hardjono leader of its tiny faction
\nin the House.<\/p>\n
Separately, the United Development Party (PPP) named yesterday
\nJusuf Syakir as chair of the party faction in the Assembly and
\nmaintained Hamzah Haz on top of its 89-strong faction in the
\nHouse.<\/p>\n
Jusuf and Hamzah will also join the party's 12 representatives
\nin the Assembly working committee. The committee's main task is
\npreparing drafts of State Policy Guidelines and other
\nstipulations to be endorsed in March next year.<\/p>\n
The PPP's lineup has only minor changes from that of 1992, but
\nthe party chairman, Ismail Hasan Metareum, defended the lineup
\nyesterday.<\/p>\n
\"We need experienced people who match those on the other side,
\nin our bid to get our drafts accepted in the general session,\"
\nIsmail said. He was referring to the dominant Golkar faction
\nwhich will parade 488 legislators, many of whom are from the
\nbureaucracy.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, political observer Nurcholish Madjid said it was
\nimpossible to expect Assembly members to serve as \"real\"
\nrepresentatives of the people because they only effectively met
\nonce in five years.<\/p>\n
\"But we can still expect House members to perform the
\nlegislative duties,\" he told reporters after addressing a
\ndiscussion, held at the Istiqlal Grand Mosque to commemorate the
\ncountry's fight against communism in 1965.<\/p>\n
Nurcholish said House members should strive to be independent
\ndespite their \"closeness\" to the government.<\/p>\n
\"They must maintain a distance from the government, so that
\nthere is still enough room for them to criticize the President or
\nthe government,\" said Nurcholish, who will end his term as
\nAssembly member today.<\/p>\n
Another speaker at the discussion, Moslem scholar Amien Rais,
\nsaid the time had come for the House members to fulfill the
\npromises they made in the general election.<\/p>\n
\"They should thank the people who voted for them,\" said Amien,
\nwho is the chairman of the 28-million strong Muhammadiyah Moslem
\norganization, after the discussion.<\/p>\n
\"House members should be more responsive to the people's
\ncomplaints about government policies,\" he said, adding that
\npeople now prefer to lodge their complaints with other
\ninstitutions.<\/p>\n
He said he was doubtful that House members would exercise
\ntheir right to initiate bills.<\/p>\n
\"I have never heard that they use their initiative right,\" he
\nsaid. (imn\/amd)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/megawati-asks-for-pdi-legislators-exclusion-1447893297",
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