MPR set to elect president on Oct. 20<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): After months of uncertainty, Indonesians will
\nknow on Oct. 20 who will lead the country into the next
\nmillennium.<\/p>\n
Members of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) agreed on
\nSaturday to bring forward the presidential election to Oct. 20,
\nwith the vice president to be elected and sworn in the following
\nday before the General Session is officially closed.<\/p>\n
Assembly members had been debating for two days on the
\ntimetable for the election. The most contentious point was
\nwhether the president would be elected before or after the State
\nPolicy Guidelines (GBHN) was drafted and endorsed.<\/p>\n
A compromise was reached on Saturday with Assembly members
\nagreeing to elect the president with only the \"bare essentials\"
\nof the State Policy Guidelines, but also issuing two decrees
\nwhich in effect would curb presidential power.<\/p>\n
The schedule was endorsed at about 9 p.m. in a plenary
\nsession.<\/p>\n
Golkar Party deputy chairman Marzuki Darusman confirmed that
\nprior to the presidential election, the Assembly would endorse a
\ndecree limiting the president's power.<\/p>\n
Another decree would \"ensure the principle of checks and
\nbalances among the state's highest institutions,\" Marzuki told
\nThe Jakarta Post on Saturday.<\/p>\n
\"It is expected that these decrees will open a new era of
\ndemocracy where the power will not only lie with the president,\"
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
Marzuki's comment came amid mounting concerns that electing a
\npresident prior to the State Policy Guideline's formulation would
\nbe tantamount to giving full discretionary powers to the new
\ngovernment.<\/p>\n
Chief of the Indonesian Military (TNI) faction at the MPR Lt.
\nGen. Hari Sabarno stressed on Saturday afternoon that a president
\nwould be elected only after the State Policy Guidelines were
\nendorsed.<\/p>\n
\"The General Session has to run in an orderly manner. What
\nsort of mandate will the president undertake in the absence of
\nthe State Policy Guidelines?\" he said.<\/p>\n
However he denied that an agreement had been reached on the
\ndate for the presidential election.<\/p>\n
Definite schedule<\/p>\n
\"The definite schedule for the presidential election will
\ndepend very much on how things develop in the coming days. What
\nwe have agreed on is only to set a timetable which will include
\nthe date for the election,\" he said.<\/p>\n
TNI Chief of Territorial Affairs Lt. Gen. Susilo Bambang
\nYudoyono shared his colleague's view.<\/p>\n
\"Logically the policy guidelines must be endorsed before the
\nMPR seeks the person who is considered capable of carrying them
\nout,\" he said at TNI Headquarters in Cilangkap, East Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Based on the new schedule, the Assembly will convene until
\nMonday to elect speakers of the Assembly and the House of
\nRepresentatives, establish the Assembly's Working Committee, and
\nendorse the Assembly's Internal Rules.<\/p>\n
On Wednesday the Working Committee will begin to tackle its
\nbrief.<\/p>\n
The committee will be divided into three teams: for the State
\nPolicy Guidelines; for non-State Guidelines' issues, in this case
\nAssembly decrees; and for constitutional amendments.<\/p>\n
The Assembly will reconvene on the evening of Oct. 14 to hear
\nPresident B.J. Habibie's accountability speech.<\/p>\n
The president will be elected and sworn in on Oct. 20.<\/p>\n
Golkar Party chairman Akbar Tandjung noted that despite the
\nGeneral Session being broken down into two periods, Assembly
\nmembers had agreed not to use the term \"phases\".<\/p>\n
Dimyati Hartono of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle
\n(PDI Perjuangan) said his party was satisfied with the schedule.<\/p>\n
\"It was PDI Perjuangan's proposal not to delay the General
\nSession by having two phases, and to push for a quick
\npresidential election, because our country is in need of a new
\ngovernment,\" he told the Post on Saturday evening.<\/p>\n
\"If there are whispers that this is a PDI Perjuangan move to
\nspoil our political opponents' chances, that's simply their own
\npersonnel speculation,\" he added.<\/p>\n
The party had objected to a schedule drafted by a team
\ncomprised of several political parties which called for the
\nGeneral Session to be held in two phases.<\/p>\n
The first phase was slated to be held from Oct. 1 to Oct. 3,
\nfollowed by an adjournment to allow for the Working Committee to
\ndraft the State Policy Guidelines. The Assembly was then to have
\nreconvened from Oct. 22 to Oct. 28 to elect the president.<\/p>\n
Yusuf Muhammad of the National Awakening Party (PKB) said that
\nafter a series of consultative meetings which began on Friday
\nafternoon, all the groups and factions had agreed on the schedule
\nunder two strongly worded conditions.<\/p>\n
First, was a mandate to restrict the president's power, and
\nsecond, the requirement to empower the control mechanisms and the
\nindependency of judicial institutions.<\/p>\n
\"The guidelines will only consist of the main substance,\" said
\nYusuf, who was elected on Saturday as a spokesman for the
\nconsultative meeting.<\/p>\n
He gave the analogy of the Assembly giving the elected
\npresident a pack of rice, with limited toppings, but adequate as
\na basic necessity.<\/p>\n
He said other additional dishes, like fruits and desserts,
\nwould be discussed later, but not beyond Aug. 17, 2000.<\/p>\n
Yusuf said that Constitutional amendments would be an
\ninseparable part of the Assembly, with the Assembly speaker
\nmandated to ensure the amendments were completed by Aug. 17,
\n2000. (amd\/rms\/byg\/emf)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/mpr-set-to-elect-president-on-oct-20-1447893297",
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