New warning issued on MPR disruptions<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Leaders of the People's Consultative Assembly
\nfactions issued fresh warnings to their members yesterday against
\nexpressing dissent by interrupting the body's General Session
\nnext week.<\/p>\n
Golkar chairman Harmoko, Armed Forces faction leader Lt. Gen.
\nHari Sabarno and secretary-general of the United Development
\nParty (PPP) Tosari Wijaya all said interruptions were unwanted
\nand unnecessary as the Assembly's five factions had agreed on all
\nissues to be endorsed during the 11-day convention which starts
\non Sunday.<\/p>\n
\"What's an interruption for when it is clear that a faction
\nhas already reached a decision. It (an interruption) will only be
\nan act of indiscipline,\" Hari said, adding that the Armed Forces
\n(ABRI) headquarters might consider punishing any dissenting
\nlegislators in its faction.<\/p>\n
But Harmoko was quick to deny that such a warning would
\ndiscourage democratization.<\/p>\n
\"Our Pancasila democracy places the deliberation to reach an
\nagreement as the top priority. Different opinions are welcomed,
\nbut once a decision is taken, everybody has to comply with it,\"
\nHarmoko said.<\/p>\n
The Assembly is expected to endorse the draft of the 1998\/2003
\nState Policy Guidelines and reelect incumbent President Soeharto
\nand elect State Minister of Research and Technology B.J. Habibie
\nvice president.<\/p>\n
Harmoko, instead, hailed the upcoming General Session as the
\nclimax to long, grueling debates run in a democratic atmosphere.<\/p>\n
\"We used to deliberate drafts of policy guidelines drawn up by
\nthe government. But this time the drafts came from a political
\norganization (Golkar). This is progress isn't it?\" said Harmoko,
\na cabinet minister during the last three five-year terms.<\/p>\n
The five factions -- Golkar, ABRI, PPP, the Indonesian
\nDemocratic Party and the regional representatives -- agreed to
\nthe Golkar-sponsored drafts after three months of deliberation
\nthat ended last month. During the course of the deliberations
\nthere were challenges on various issues from the Moslem-oriented
\nPPP.<\/p>\n
The Assembly's internal rules allow an interruption on matters
\nof technicality. For instance, a member may interrupt proceedings
\nin order to seek clarification, to correct a rule mistakenly
\nimplemented, or to call for a break.<\/p>\n
Harmoko, in his capacity as the House of Representatives
\nspeaker, urged the nation to maintain its cool in the wake of
\nrumors and provocation sparked by certain groups who wanted to
\ntake advantage of the current economic crisis.<\/p>\n
\"We are concerned about riots that erupted in a number of
\ntowns recently. Some of them were incited by rumors from people
\nwho wanted to divide the nation, and stemmed from suspicions that
\ncertain traders had hoarded basic commodities for speculative
\nreasons,\" Harmoko told a plenary session that marked the end of
\nthe House sitting season yesterday.<\/p>\n
A limited ministerial meeting on political affairs and
\nsecurity called on the community not to be provoked by groups
\nseeking to exploit people and turn them into a psychological
\npressure group against the government, or to create
\nantigovernment sentiment among the public.<\/p>\n
The meeting said the whole nation was responsible for
\nmaintaining political stability and playing an active role in
\nsafeguarding the General Session.<\/p>\n
It recommended that security officials be allowed to take firm
\naction against any efforts by the unidentified groups to disrupt
\nthe sessions.<\/p>\n
The meeting suggested that people should immediately report to
\nnearby Alert Command Centers or military district commands if
\nthey learned of attempts to disrupt stability.<\/p>\n
Present at the meeting were Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali
\nAlatas, Minister of Information R. Hartono, Armed Forces Chief
\nGen. Wiranto, Attorney General Singgih, Director-General for
\nSociopolitical Affairs Maj. Gen. Achdari and Deputy chief of the
\nState Intelligence Coordinating Agency Maj. Gen. Rusdi. (imn\/amd)<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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