MPR may ask Soeharto for account<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The special session of the People's Consultative
\nAssembly (MPR) planned for November may well hear former
\npresident Soeharto's account of his leadership if the factions
\npush the issue, according to Assembly member Poedjono Pranyoto.<\/p>\n
The head of the body's working committee (BP-MPR) in charge of
\npreparing the agenda for the session responded on Thursday to
\ngrowing calls that the special session be used to hear Soeharto's
\naccount for alleged wrongdoings that plunged the country into the
\ncrisis.<\/p>\n
"The possibility is still there, but of course it will depend
\non the factions," Poedjono told journalists.<\/p>\n
The MPR comprises of factions of the Armed Forces (ABRI), the
\nUnited Development Party (PPP), the dominant Golkar, the
\nIndonesian Democratic Party (PDI) and regional representatives.
\nThe BP-MPR -- a 90-member body -- is part of the 1,000-member
\nAssembly.<\/p>\n
The working committee is scheduled to finish its work by Oct.
\n2.<\/p>\n
Thus far, the regional representatives is the only faction
\nknown to be pushing for the Assembly's special session to hear a
\nSoeharto accountability speech.<\/p>\n
All five factions have agreed to have six draft decrees passed
\nin the next special session. The draft decrees are on amendments
\nof the State Policy Guidelines and the general election date, the
\nlimitation of the presidential term, and the revocation of an MPR
\ndecree that grants the president extraordinary powers.<\/p>\n
The other draft decrees are on the MPR's internal rules, the
\n"main tasks" of incumbent President B.J. Habibie and his cabinet
\nuntil the end of 1999, and the Assembly's special session
\nschedule.<\/p>\n
On Thursday, Poedjono reiterated the working committee was
\nopen to public aspirations and suggested that the public channel
\ntheir aspiration through the factions.<\/p>\n
He said the House of Representatives (DPR) building would
\nremain open, but he begged for the aspirations to be channeled
\n"in an orderly fashion" as it would be impossible to receive
\n"hundreds of people" delivering their demands all at the same
\ntime.<\/p>\n
In an apparent reference to students who on Monday staged a
\nday-long protest in front of the DPR building, Poedjono mentioned
\nthe "rule" that only delegations of 15 people would be allowed to
\nmeet with the legislators.<\/p>\n
Separately, Armed Forces (ABRI) Chief of Sociopolitical
\nAffairs Lt. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono reminded that public demands
\nmust not create fresh problems.<\/p>\n
"We all have to realize...that our priority is to solve the
\neconomic crisis so our country can be saved," he said as quoted
\nby Antara as saying after the opening of the working committee's
\nsession.<\/p>\n
"Political aspirations and expression must be made without
\ncreating new problems...without creating unrest," said Susilo,
\nwho is the chief of ABRI faction in the People's Consultative
\nAssembly.<\/p>\n
Working committee member Fahmi Idris hinted the impossibility
\nof summoning Soeharto to the special session to give his account
\nas it would provoke a "dispute" within the Assembly, many of
\nwhose members were handpicked by Soeharto.<\/p>\n
"It will stir up a dispute if a (former) president has to give
\nhis accountability address before his (former) aides, who
\nactually were the people who executed his (Soeharto's) policies,"
\nhe argued, as quoted by Antara.<\/p>\n
Fahmi, who is also minister of manpower, speculated that even
\nif such an account hearing were held, the former aides would not
\ntreat it objectively.<\/p>\n
In a related development on Thursday, Habibie restated his
\npledge that he would stick to his laid-out political agenda to
\nhave a general election by next May.<\/p>\n
He hinted that all necessary laws and facilities required for
\na free and fair election would be ready on time. Habibie has
\npromised that he will have the bills ready for public debate this
\nmonth.<\/p>\n
The government had earlier promised to submit the bills to the
\nHouse of Representatives on Thursday, but failed to do so.<\/p>\n
After meeting with Habibie at Merdeka Palace, a representative
\nof the association of the offspring of the leaders of the
\nNahdlatul Ulama (NU) Moslem organization, Hilmi Muhammadiyah,
\nsaid: "About the electoral system, Pak Habibie offered a district
\nsystem and the Armed Forces will have 55 representatives (in the
\nDPR)." (prb\/aan)<\/p>",
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