MPR begins discussing its special session agenda<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) is
\ngearing up for its four-day special session beginning on Nov. 10,
\nwith its five factions pushing for their own agendas to be
\nincluded in the proceedings.<\/p>\n
The dominant Golkar faction is insisting the session should
\nonly discuss preparations for the general election next year, but
\nother members of the assembly want the session to be used to
\nintroduce a limit to the length of the president's term in office
\nand to separate the House of Representatives (DPR) from the MPR.<\/p>\n
Others want the special session to be used to hear a statement
\nof accountability from former president Soeharto, who resigned on
\nMay 21 as the nation buckled under social, economic and political
\nupheaval.<\/p>\n
In a news conference held here on Monday, the 20-member team
\nassisting the MPR Working Committee (BP-MPR) prepare the session
\nagenda, said they were making an inventory of what the different
\nfactions wanted included in the session's proceedings.<\/p>\n
\"Which items need to be included and which don't need to be
\ntaken up are now being considered,\" Poedjono Pranyoto, who chairs
\nthe BP-MPR, said.<\/p>\n
Also present at the news conference were five members of the
\nteam of assistants: Tosari Widjaya of the United Development
\n(PPP), Abdul Latief of Golkar, H. Ismunandar of the Indonesian
\nDemocratic Party (PDI), Achmad Rustandi of the Armed Forces
\n(ABRI) and Lilik Hendradjaya of the Regional Representatives.<\/p>\n
Poedjono said the team met on Aug. 18 and that Monday's
\nmeeting was the second it had convened. The team will meet again
\nthis Thursday, he added.<\/p>\n
The team will attempt to summarize \"aspirations developing
\nwithin society\" and put these forward for the BP-MPR to
\ndeliberate when it meets between Sept. 10 and Sept. 29, Poedjono
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Rustandi, who chaired Monday's meeting, said the five factions
\nhave agreed to forward proposals for a draft BP-MPR decree, a
\ndraft MPR decree and a revision of two MPR decrees to the working
\ncommittee for further deliberation.<\/p>\n
He said the draft BP-MPR decree covered the schedule and
\nagenda of the committee's forthcoming meeting and the draft MPR
\ndecree covered the agenda for the forthcoming special session.<\/p>\n
The two draft MPR decrees cover a revision of MPR Decree No.
\n3\/1998 on elections and the update of MPR Decree No. 2\/1998 on
\nthe State Policy Guidelines, he said.<\/p>\n
\"There are also other items that have been proposed for the
\nagenda. Some issues are supported by three factions, others by
\ntwo factions and so forth ... but all factions have basically
\nagreed to accommodate aspirations for reform, rather than just
\nlimit the session to discussion of the election alone,\" Rustandi
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
\"So we urge people to channel their aspirations to the BP or
\nfactions in the MPR,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He revealed that the PPP and Regional Representatives factions
\nhave proposed 20 issues for inclusion in the session's agenda,
\nthe ABRI faction has proposed six and the PDI faction two.<\/p>\n
Rustandi said the Golkar faction had decided to press for an
\ninclusion of only matters directly related to the general
\nelection planned for next May or June.<\/p>\n
Abdul Latief, who leads the Golkar faction in the MPR, said
\nhis organization would concentrate only on revising and drafting
\nMPR decrees pertaining to elections on the grounds that it wanted
\nvoting next year to be \"honest and fair\".<\/p>\n
\"Given the limited time available, we must ensure that
\nregulations covering elections are perfect,\" said Latief, who was
\nminister of manpower under Soeharto.<\/p>\n
The PPP faction is pushing for the MPR to introduce a decree
\nthat will compel President B.J. Habibie to launch an
\ninvestigation into the alleged corruption and abuse of power by
\nSoeharto, his children and his cronies.<\/p>\n
\"It's a political decision which needs to be made,\" Tosari
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Lilik said his Regional Representatives faction had proposed
\nthat the MPR summon Soeharto to account for his rule between
\nMarch 11, 1998, when he assumed the presidency for a seventh
\nconsecutive term, and May 21 when he resigned.<\/p>\n
In a separate development on Monday, the deputy chairman of
\nthe Golkar Central Board, Agung Laksono, said in the East Nusa
\nTenggara capital of Kupang that Soeharto did not need to give an
\naccount of his leadership in the upcoming session of the MPR.<\/p>\n
\"He was president for only two months, so what does he have to
\naccount for, whereas the State Policy Guidelines (which Soeharto
\nwas supposed to follow) will not be completed until 2003,\" Agung,
\nwho is also the sports and youth affairs minister, was quoted by
\nAntara as saying. (aan)<\/p>",
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