Observers say MPR blackmailing President<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Observers lashed out at People's Consultative
\nAssembly (MPR) legislators on Sunday for pushing for a decree to
\nformalize the task-sharing agreement between President
\nAbdurrahman Wahid and the Vice President, saying it was an
\nattempt to blackmail the President ahead of a planned Cabinet
\nreshuffle.<\/p>\n
Some of the observers also accused the Golkar Party and what
\nthey called \"survivors of the old regime\" of masterminding the
\nmove in a bid to resume power.<\/p>\n
Ali Sadikin, the founder of government critics group Petisi
\n(Petition) 50, said in a statement that the politicians were
\naiming to horse-trade Abdurrahman's power away.<\/p>\n
\"The move to propose the decree has obviously trespassed the
\npresident's prerogatives. Those ideas are thus unconstitutional,\"
\nAli, a former Jakarta governor, said.<\/p>\n
He said Assembly legislators, who are now convening for their
\nfirst Annual Session, were trying to suggest the decree was
\nneeded because of the ineffective government of Abdurrahman.<\/p>\n
\"Of course I won't stop criticizing President Abdurrahman for
\nthe slow pace of his government in solving the various problem
\nplaguing the nation ... But it's very unfair to lay the
\nshortcomings on his shoulders,\" Ali said.<\/p>\n
He said the issuance of such a decree would repeat the past
\nmistakes made by political parties' intervening in the
\nrecruitment of Cabinet ministers, which according to the 1945
\nConstitution is the president's prerogative.<\/p>\n
\"Such a compromise is proven to prevent the Cabinet from
\nworking effectively,\" Ali said.<\/p>\n
Abdurrahman, under fire for his government's performance, told
\nthe Assembly last Wednesday he would assign Vice President
\nMegawati Soekarnoputri with the day-to-day technical work of
\nrunning the government and restructuring the Cabinet.<\/p>\n
Human rights activist Hendardi said the plan to release the
\ndecree was not only political blackmail, but \"a covert coup\"
\nagainst the President.<\/p>\n
\"This is a test case for those political groupings trying to
\nstrengthen their bargaining power, which predictably deals with
\nhow many seats they are asking for in the new Cabinet,\" Hendardi
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
He speculated the efforts would lead to \"a political trap\" set
\nby supporters of the old regime at the expense of Megawati and
\nthe reform movement.<\/p>\n
\"For the same reasons, they will repeat their move against
\nMegawati. It's clear, however, that the root of ineffective
\ngovernment is the politics of horse trading,\" Hendardi said.<\/p>\n
Political expert Muhammad Bisri from the Semarang-based State
\nIslamic Institute shared Hendardi's view, saying any such decree
\nwould finally be aimed at striking both Abdurrahman and Megawati.<\/p>\n
\"Both the President and Vice President will be vulnerable to
\nattacks using such a decree, if they are considered unable to
\nmanage the government,\" Bisri said.<\/p>\n
Another political analyst, Ali Mufiz, said the decree would
\ncreate complications if changes were made to the task-sharing
\narrangement.<\/p>\n
\"Should an annual session which costs us Rp 25 billion be held
\nto formalize the changes?\" he asked.<\/p>\n
Political expert from Yogyakarta-based Gadjah Mada University
\nRiswandha Imawan said the decree could be avoided if Abdurrahman
\nchanged his inconsistent ways and improved his managerial skills.
\n(har\/amd)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/observers-say-mpr-blackmailing-president-1447893297",
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