PDI-P opposes giving more power to MPR<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): A president should be allowed to serve his full
\nfive-year term in office without any interruptions, not even from
\nthe People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), the Indonesian
\nDemocratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) said on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Outlining its position for next week's MPR gathering, PDI
\nPerjuangan, as the largest faction in the Assembly, plans to flex
\nits muscles against attempts to give the MPR even more power than
\nit has now to replace the president.<\/p>\n
\"A fixed five-year term guarantees that a president can not be
\ndisturbed by an obligation to give a progress report before the
\nMPR (every year),\" PDI Perjuangan faction chairman Heri Akhmadi
\nannounced.<\/p>\n
The working committee of the MPR filed a last-minute proposal
\non the meeting's agenda, seeking to amend the Assembly's rules
\nand procedures. If approved, it would allow the MPR to turn an
\nannual meeting into a Special Session to impeach the president.<\/p>\n
The National Awakening Party (PKB), the main political vehicle
\nof President Abdurrahman Wahid, was defeated in opposing the
\nmotion and the matter will now be discussed by the MPR, which
\nbegins its meeting on Monday.<\/p>\n
The motion, proposed by 27 MPR members, somewhat contradicted
\nthe assurances given by Assembly Speaker Amien Rais and House of
\nRepresentatives Speaker Akbar Tandjung on Tuesday, who said they
\nhad no intention of turning the annual meeting into a special
\nmeeting.<\/p>\n
PDI Perjuangan said relations between the president, as the
\nhead of state, government and other state institutions, should
\nensure there were mutual checks and balances.<\/p>\n
A president can only be impeached by the MPR if he or she has
\nbetrayed the state, violated the Constitution or committed a
\nserious crime, Heri said.<\/p>\n
The annual MPR meeting should be limited to listening to
\nprogress reports by the president and other high state
\ninstitutions and to make recommendations based on those reports,
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
The party supports the amendment to the Assembly's internal
\nrulings and procedures on giving the MPR the right to make
\nrecommendations at the annual meeting, he said.<\/p>\n
Heri said the party hoped that the Annual Session becomes a
\nbenchmark of democracy to reach a civilized nation.<\/p>\n
This will be the inaugural annual meeting of the MPR as the
\nAssembly seeks to begin a tradition of closely monitoring the
\nperformance of the government. In the past, the MPR met once
\nevery five years to hear the accountability speech of the
\npresident and then to elect the president.<\/p>\n
Another major contentious point during the 12-day gathering
\nnext week will be about the proposed second amendment to the 1945
\nConstitution, including a call to hold a direct presidential
\nelection starting in 2004.<\/p>\n
PDI Perjuangan insisted, however, on the current system in
\nwhich the MPR elects the president and vice president.<\/p>\n
The party believes that a direct election is not an absolute
\nsystem to win the people's legitimacy, Heri said.<\/p>\n
\"The Assembly is chosen by the people, so whoever is elected
\npresident reflects the people's choice,\" he said.<\/p>\n
PDI Perjuangan is almost alone in defending the present
\nsystem, which also deprived the election of its chairwoman
\nMegawati Soekarnoputri last October.<\/p>\n
Political analysts believe that Megawati, whose PDI Perjuangan
\nemerged as the winner in the June 1999 general election, would
\nhave won the presidential election in October under a direct
\nsystem.<\/p>\n
Separately, Arifin Panigoro, a PDI Perjuangan legislator, said
\nhe was optimistic that economic and political reforms would
\ncontinue under President Abdurrahman's leadership.<\/p>\n
Arifin, who is also a businessman, said Abdurrahman should be
\ngiven a chance to resolve the economic problems, noting that the
\nadministration was not clear about its economic priorities.<\/p>\n
\"We just need time to cope with the economic matters,\" he told
\na seminar on the prospect of next week's MPR meeting, organized
\nby the Institute for the Development of the Economy and Finance.<\/p>\n
Arifin criticized MPR Speaker Amien Rais, who addressed the
\nforum earlier, for giving a thumbs-down to the President's first
\n10 months in office and for suggesting that he should resign if
\nthe situation got any worse.<\/p>\n
Arifin insisted that progress had been made since the days of
\npresident Soeharto and that the process had not yet come to an
\nend.<\/p>\n
He dismissed the negative attitude often expressed about next
\nweek's MPR annual gathering, the first of its kind.<\/p>\n
\"I think positively. We have to follow the session,\" he said.
\n(jun\/01)<\/p>",
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