MPR agrees to move forward elections<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Members of the People's Consultative Assembly
\n(MPR) agreed on Friday to accelerate the presidential elections,
\nbut adjourned the General Assembly after failing to reach a
\nconsensus on the exact dates of the crucial schedule.<\/p>\n
Assembly members were in apparent agreement that a president
\nmust be elected in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n
The source of contention comes down to whether the president
\nwould be elected before or after the State Policy Guidelines
\n(GBHN) is drafted and endorsed.<\/p>\n
\"We decided to suspend the lobbying until tomorrow (Saturday)
\nat 9 a.m., that means there'll be no meeting tonight,\" Golkar
\ndeputy chairman Marzuki Darusman said on Friday afternoon after a
\ntwo-hour closed-door meeting with leading Assembly members.<\/p>\n
Despite lacking sufficient support, the Indonesian Democratic
\nParty of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) continued to push for a
\nGeneral Session schedule comprising one phase, which would
\nculminate in a presidential election within a fortnight.<\/p>\n
The move would mean endorsement of the guidelines would take
\nplace after the presidential election.<\/p>\n
A small team headed by Crescent Star Party (PBB) chairman
\nYusril Ihza Mahendra, which includes Golkar and National Mandate
\nParty (PAN) representatives, has proposed a two-phase schedule.<\/p>\n
The grouping has proposed that after four days the Assembly
\nwould adjourn to allow an Assembly Working Committee to draft the
\nguidelines, before convening again on Oct. 22.<\/p>\n
Marzuki stressed that it was now a matter of fine-tuning the
\ntimetable.<\/p>\n
\"We'll try to lobby for a consensus so a completely new
\ngovernment will be formed by Oct. 28,\" Marzuki said.<\/p>\n
He said most of the factions \"agreed and realized\" that an
\naccelerated presidential election was the \"best way to normalize
\nthe nation\".<\/p>\n
\"There are no principal differences, we only have to reach an
\nagreement on the details.<\/p>\n
\"We hope PDI Perjuangan will show a moderate stance in the
\nplenary session tomorrow (Saturday) so that the General Session's
\nagenda can be unanimously accepted,\" Marzuki said.<\/p>\n
Hari Sabarno of the military faction said: \"We have been able
\nto reach points of understandings, so hopefully with that we can
\nreach an agreement tomorrow.\"<\/p>\n
Many argue that electing a president prior to the formulation
\nof the State Guidelines is tantamount to giving a blank cheque to
\nthe government for the next five years.<\/p>\n
Sabam Sirait of PDI Perjuangan denied that the party's firm
\nstand on the timetable issue was hampering the General Session's
\nprogress.<\/p>\n
After attending Friday morning's induction ceremony, PDI
\nPerjuangan chairwoman and presidential candidate Megawati
\nSoekarnoputri also urged the election process to occur as quickly
\nas possible.<\/p>\n
She argued that the country's economic and political recovery
\nwould immediately begin to recover with the election of a new
\npresident.<\/p>\n
\"PDI Perjuangan has its own political interest to immediately
\nend the crises,\" Megawati said.<\/p>\n
Late into Friday night, Assembly members were lobbying hard in
\nan attempt to break any possible impasse that may arise on
\nSaturday.<\/p>\n
Nearly four months after the June 7 elections, the 700-seat
\nAssembly on Friday finally convened its General Session.<\/p>\n
The Assembly is comprised of members of the House of
\nRepresentatives (DPR), of which 462 were elected through the
\npolls and 38 were allotted to the military.<\/p>\n
In addition, there are 135 regional representatives and 65
\ninterest group representatives.<\/p>\n
Only 628 members were sworn in on Friday due to unresolved
\npolitical and administrative issues. Due to the unfolding
\nsituation in East Timor, the territory's five regional seats
\nremained vacant. Jambi and Southeast Sulawesi have also not
\nelected regional representatives.<\/p>\n
In addition to electing a president and vice president, the
\nAssembly must also endorse the 1999-2004 State Guidelines, amend
\nthe 1945 Constitution, issue decrees, select speakers of the
\nAssembly and the House and establish the various factions.<\/p>\n
Coalition<\/p>\n
With no party holding a clear majority in the Assembly, seat-
\ntrading, back room politics and hallway alliances will be
\nwidespread during the coming weeks.<\/p>\n
Marzuki said that close cooperation among the major political
\nparties was needed to form the new administration.<\/p>\n
\"The next government should draw its power from all the major
\npolitical parties in line with the seat tally composition of the
\nrecent General Election,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Another Golkar Party member, Ekky Syachrudin, predicted a
\ndeadlock in the presidential race, saying support for the three
\nstrongest contenders was finely balanced.<\/p>\n
A loose coalition known as the \"axis force\" led by PAN and
\nseveral Muslim parties has nominated Abdurrahman Wahid. PDI
\nPerjuangan backs Megawati, while Golkar continues to officially
\nsupport incumbent Habibie, despite indications that it might be
\nreconsidering the nomination.<\/p>\n
\"The three major power groups are expected to win around 200
\nsupporters each in the presidential election. If they fail to
\nmake a compromise, the election will be deadlocked,\" he said.<\/p>\n
National Awakening Party (PKB) secretary-general Muhaimin
\nIskandar reiterated on Friday his party's support for Megawati.<\/p>\n
\"PKB will acquire more political gains in a coalition with PDI
\nPerjuangan than with the axis force,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Checks<\/p>\n
Most party leaders also appeared to agree that the Assembly
\nestablish an effective check-and-balance system to prevent an
\noverconcentration of power in the president's hands.<\/p>\n
\"We want to ensure that the next president will not have too
\nmuch power,\" Sutradara Ginting of the Justice and Unity Party
\n(PKP) said on Friday after late night lobbying between party
\nleaders at Hotel Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Most members agreed that the 1945 Constitution, which provides
\nthe president with sweeping powers, should be amended. But they
\nalso realized that the two-week interval between the session's
\ntwo phases would not be sufficient for deliberating such an
\nimportant issue.<\/p>\n
Ginting said the MPR should, at the very least, be able to
\nenact laws that further empowered the House, the Assembly and the
\nSupreme Court to bring the president under an effective
\ncheck-and-balance mechanism.<\/p>\n
He said such a control mechanism would be adequate pending a
\ncomprehensive amendment of the Constitution by the Working
\nCommittee within three months of the conclusion of the current
\nGeneral Session. (rms\/byg\/emf\/amd\/vin)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/mpr-agrees-to-move-forward-elections-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}