MPR hammers out agreement on old decrees<\/p>\n
M. Taufiqurrahman, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The People's Consultative Assembly working committee agreed on
\nWednesday on the wording of a draft decree revoking more than 100
\nobsolete decrees, including the one on the impeachment of the
\nlate President Sukarno.<\/p>\n
In a last preparatory meeting for the annual session,
\nscheduled to take place between Aug. 1 and Aug. 10, members of
\nthe committee unanimously endorsed the final draft of the decree,
\nwhich was presented by ad hoc committee II.<\/p>\n
The latest version of the draft decree states that MPR Decree
\nNo. 25\/1966 on the dissolution of the Indonesian Communist Party
\n(PKI) will be revoked. However, the ban on Marxism and Communism
\nwill be maintained given their incompatibility with the state
\nideology Pancasila.<\/p>\n
There are only eight decrees that will be scrapped
\nunconditionally, including MPR Decree No. 6\/1973 on the structure
\nand composition of the highest law-making body and high state
\ninstitutions, and MPR Decree No. 13\/1998, which limits the number
\nof presidential terms that may be served. The amended
\nConstitution already restricts a president's tenure to two five-
\nyear periods at the most.<\/p>\n
The MPR also plans to revoke some of its decrees after a new
\ngovernment is formed following the 2004 general election. These
\ninclude controversial Decree No. 4\/2000 on regional autonomy and
\nDecree No. 2\/2002 on the acceleration of economic recovery.<\/p>\n
Chairman of the ad hoc committee Rambe Kamarulzaman said that
\nthe draft decree would be presented to the assembly's annual
\nsession for approval.<\/p>\n
A constitutional law expert, Sri Soemantri, said that
\nrevocation of the obsolete decrees would not automatically annul
\nlaws that used the decrees as their basis.<\/p>\n
He said that once a law was enacted there was no way to annul
\nit, unless a new law was issued to replace it or revoke it.<\/p>\n
\"In the 1950's, there were a lot of laws and government
\nregulations made under provisional Constitution, but after it was
\nrevoked these laws still continued in effect. The most important
\nthing is the content of a law, whether or not it contradicts the
\nstate Constitution,\" he told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
During Wednesday's meeting, the working committee also agreed
\non the draft decree on the establishment of the constitutional
\ncommission, which will carry out a comprehensive review of the
\namendments made to the 1945 Constitution between 1999 and 2002.<\/p>\n
The commission will consist of 31 members, be appointed by the
\nMPR working committee and be accountable to the highest law-
\nmaking body.<\/p>\n
The commission's mandate will only last for six months after
\nits establishment.<\/p>\n
Apart from the high-profile issues, BP MPR also approved the
\nschedule of the annual session.<\/p>\n
All the 700 Assembly members will stay at the Mulia Hotel,
\nnear the national legislative complex in Senayan, Central
\nJakarta.<\/p>\n
During past annual sessions, Assembly members stayed at
\ndifferent venues based on their political affiliations.<\/p>\n
The annual session will cost taxpayers Rp 20 billion (US$2.4
\nmillion).<\/p>",
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