Petisi 50 criticizes Soeharto's speech<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The Petisi 50 group of noted government critics
\nurged the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) yesterday to
\nreject President Soeharto's accountability speech and beseeched
\nthem not to reelect the 76-year-old president.<\/p>\n
"It's not only because he (Soeharto) has failed to make
\nhimself truly accountable for things which should be delineated,
\nbut also because he has been in the post for more than two
\nterms," the group said in a statement.<\/p>\n
According to the highly vocal group which comprises many
\nformer senior government and military figures, Sunday's
\naccountability address should have been delivered to the
\n1992\/1997 Assembly, not the 1998\/2004 one, since it was the
\nformer congress that gave him the presidential mandate.<\/p>\n
The group also disparaged the content of the speech because it
\nfailed to answer various issues concerning state governance over
\nthe past five years.<\/p>\n
Instead, the group said in its statement, the speech resembled
\nmore of a technical explanation of government activities.<\/p>\n
They contended that the speech should have accounted for and
\nexplained what they claimed to be abuses of power as a result of
\ncorruption, collusion, nepotism and monopolies.<\/p>\n
"Given these considerations, President Soeharto's
\naccountability speech of March 1 cannot be considered an
\naccountability address but instead only an official technical
\nexplanation," the statement said.<\/p>\n
On account of this, the Petisi 50 asked the Assembly to
\nestablish a special commission to examine the omitted elements of
\nSoeharto's speech.<\/p>\n
Petisi 50 was formed in May 1980 by 50 prominent figures,
\ninclude several of President Soeharto's own peers from various
\nservices of the Armed Forces.<\/p>\n
Even though many of the original siganitories have passed
\naway, the remaining members are still outspoken in their opinions
\nof the government.<\/p>\n
In yesterday's statement, the group suggested that given his
\nage, incumbent Soeharto should be noble and say that he did not
\nwish to be renominated for a seventh consecutive term.<\/p>\n
Soeharto has held the presidency since 1968.<\/p>\n
Among the Petisi 50 members who signed yesterday's petition
\nwere former governor of Jakarta Lt. Gen. (ret) Ali Sadikin,
\nformer police chief Gen. (ret) Hoegeng Iman Santoso and former
\nstudent activist Chris Siner Key Timu.<\/p>\n
This is not the first public call for the Assembly to reject
\nPresident Soeharto's speech.<\/p>\n
A day earlier 20 representatives from the University of
\nIndonesia presented a similar petition to Assembly members.<\/p>\n
However, these calls seem to be more or less unheeded as the
\nAssembly's Commission C in charge of deliberating the president's
\naccountability endorsed yesterday Soeharto's address leaving the
\nway open for the Assembly to formally accept the speech in a
\nplenary session on Monday. (swa)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/petisi-50-criticizes-soehartos-speech-1447893297",
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