Members reject suggestions to cut Assembly session short<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): People's Consultative Assembly members dismissed
\nsuggestions yesterday that the 11-day General Session be
\nshortened as the Rp 44.7 billion (US$5 million) event was
\nmarching smoothly toward its foregone conclusions.<\/p>\n
A member of the dominant Golkar faction, Marwah Daud Ibrahim,
\nsaid the need to hold the convention for 11 days was not an
\nexaggeration given the extent of the materials legislators had to
\nabsorb and discuss.<\/p>\n
\"We convene day and night to refine the draft of all decrees
\nthat we bring from the preliminary session from October to
\nJanuary. The problem is most of the legislators did not attend
\nthe three months of preparatory meetings,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Marwah rejected the idea that a shorter session would be
\nreasonable given that the Assembly had in fact finished its job
\nand the convention served only as a protracted ceremony to
\nendorse the drafts of decrees and other decisions that had been
\nreached in advance.<\/p>\n
\"Many people think the Assembly is sticking with its
\nconvention of uniformity, (but this is) merely because they do
\nnot know the process we undergo to reach agreements,\" she said.<\/p>\n
But \"nothing cannot be changed,\" she said. \"Who knows, the
\nfactions may someday consider holding a shorter General Session
\nfor efficiency reasons, for example.\"<\/p>\n
Political scientist Juwono Sudarsono, who is also a Golkar
\nfaction member, said people should not apply a cost-benefit
\nanalysis to a political system. He pointed out there was no
\nguarantee that a shorter General Session would be more effective
\nand efficient.<\/p>\n
\"We still need to hold the session over 11 days. We cannot
\nhold marathon meetings as the session would lose its humanity. We
\nare not machines,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Outgoing Minister of Justice Oetojo Oesman, also a Golkar
\nfaction member, said 11 days was just right to discuss the
\ncountry's needs and programs for the next five years.<\/p>\n
\"We have to provide time to discuss everything, and we also
\nneed to access whether we are ready for the upcoming five-year
\ndevelopment programs or not,\" said Oetojo.<\/p>\n
According to Buttu Hutapea, chairman of Indonesian Democratic
\nParty (PDI) Assembly faction, the General Session is always
\nopened on March 1 to commemorate the guerrilla attack, led by the
\nthen Lt. Col. Soeharto, against the Dutch-occupied Yogyakarta in
\n1949.<\/p>\n
\"The session is ended on March 11 to mark the transfer of
\nspecial authority by then president Sukarno to then Lt. Gen.
\nSoeharto in 1966 to restore order after the abortive communist
\ncoup attempt in October 1965,\" Buttu noted.<\/p>\n
Buttu, however, added he hoped that in future the session
\nwould be shortened.<\/p>\n
Yaumil Agoes Achir, a Golkar faction member, said: \"Even if
\nthe General Session takes more than 11 days, it's fine with me.
\nWe cannot change it, as it is a part of tradition\".<\/p>\n
Political scientist Muhammad A.S. Hikam from the National
\nInstitute of Sciences said the General Session was the
\nconsequence of a \"procedural democracy.\"<\/p>\n
He said the session need not be attended by 1,000 members.
\nInstead, it needed only five people, one representative from each
\nof the five factions.<\/p>\n
\"The whole business is only ritual. How can we expect a
\ndemocratic meeting if even an interruption is regarded as a big
\ntaboo and there is only one microphone for 1,000 people,\" Hikam
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
United Development Party faction member A.M. Saefuddin
\ndisagreed. He said: \"Although all of the materials have been
\nreadied by the working committee, they will have to be
\ndeliberated and endorsed in the General Session and it will take
\ntime. The length of the session is still suitable,\" he said.
\n(team)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/members-reject-suggestions-to-cut-assembly-session-short-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}