MPR annual session to cost Rp 20 billion<\/p>\n
Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The 700-member People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) is slated to
\nconvene for its annual session from Aug. 1 to Aug. 10, costing
\ntaxpayers at least Rp 20 billion (US$2.4 million) in the process.<\/p>\n
Last year the session shaved Rp 19.5 billion off the state
\nbudget on various expenditures, including accommodation in five-
\nstar hotels and spending money for the Assembly members.<\/p>\n
For the upcoming annual session, the allocated budget will be
\nspent on accommodation, security, the transportation of Assembly
\nmembers and the publication of Assembly decrees.<\/p>\n
All 700 lawmakers will stay in the five-star Mulia Hotel, near
\nthe Assembly building. Each of them will receive Rp 150,000 per
\nday in attendance money.<\/p>\n
This time around the session will hear progress reports from
\nthe President and state institutions, and discuss the
\nestablishment of the constitutional court and revocation of some
\nAssembly decrees considered to have outlived their usefulness.<\/p>\n
Assembly members have studied 139 decrees issued between 1960
\nand 2002 over the past few weeks, but have not made any decisions
\non which decrees would be revoked.<\/p>\n
There has been furious debate over whether MPR Decree No.
\n25\/1966 on the banning of Communism should be revoked.<\/p>\n
Asnawi Latif, a member of Assembly's budget committee, said
\nthe lawmakers would possibly raise the purchase of four Russian-
\nmade Sukhoi jet fighters and the military operation in Aceh
\nduring the session to assess the performance of the government.<\/p>\n
He said the purchase of the Russian warplanes would be debated
\nbecause the procurement process was not transparent.<\/p>\n
As for the military operation in Aceh, Asnawi said that it was
\nnot in line with the 2002 Assembly decree which mandates a
\npeaceful solution for Aceh.<\/p>\n
\"Possibly, these issues will be raised to criticize the
\nperformance of Megawati's government,\" Asnawi added.<\/p>\n
MPR Speaker Amien Rais and the House of Representatives have
\nrepeatedly expressed their support for the military offensive
\nagainst Acehnese rebels. Amien even said the government could
\nignore the decree as the rebels had failed to show any desire to
\nsettle the conflict through dialog.<\/p>\n
Unlike the previous four annual sessions, this year's
\nconvention will not discuss any constitutional amendments.<\/p>\n
Given the fact that the time-consuming process of debating
\nconstitutional amendments would not be on the agenda, Asnawi said
\nthe lawmakers might cut short the annual session if possible.<\/p>\n
\"To be effective, I think the annual session can be wrapped up
\nin five or seven days,\" said Asnawi, chairman of the minority
\nPeople's Awakening Party (PKU).<\/p>\n
Kohirin Suganda from the Military\/Police faction concurred,
\nsaying that because the topics for discussion at the annual
\nsession would not be contentious, the session should last less
\nthan 10 days.<\/p>\n
The upcoming annual session will be the last for the current
\nMPR, which beginning next year will be subsumed into a new
\nbicameral legislative system.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/mpr-annual-session-to-cost-rp-20-billion-1447893297",
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