President to present draft state budget in September<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The House of Representatives (DPR) accepted on
\nWednesday President Megawati Soekarnoputri's proposal to delay
\nuntil next month the presentation of the draft state budget.<\/p>\n
In the past, when the fiscal year was set from April to April,
\nthe draft state budget was presented when the president delivered
\nthe state-of-the-nation address at the House on Aug. 16 as part
\nof the Independence Day celebrations. Last year, the fiscal year
\nwas changed from January to December and the draft budget was
\ndelivered to the House in October.<\/p>\n
Megawati, through her spokesman Bambang Kesowo, confirmed on
\nWednesday that she would deliver her state-of-the-nation address
\nat the House on Aug. 16.<\/p>\n
Bambang said it would not be possible to prepare a draft state
\nbudget in three days because the new Cabinet, which would be
\nsworn in on Friday, Aug 10, 2001, would only start working the
\nfollowing Monday.<\/p>\n
House Speaker Akbar Tandjung said on Wednesday that the House
\ncould understand Megawati's reason for the delay in presenting
\nthe draft state budget as the Cabinet would only be announced on
\nThursday.<\/p>\n
\"This is understandable,\" Akbar told a media conference after
\nthe meeting.<\/p>\n
The legislators have given the President until Sept. 7 to
\npresent the draft state budget to the House, Akbar said. Akbar
\nadded that the debate to finalize the budget should begin on
\nSept. 10.<\/p>\n
\"There will not be enough time for the economics ministers to
\ndraft the 2002 state budget by Aug 16. But the Independence Day
\nspeech by the President should go as scheduled on Aug. 16 before
\nthe House's plenary session,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Wednesday's meeting was attended by senior House leaders, such
\nas House Deputy Speaker Tosari Widjaja of the United Development
\nParty (PPP), Soetardjo Soerjogoeritno of the Indonesian
\nDemocratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) and A.M. Fatwa of
\nthe National Mandate Party (PAN).<\/p>\n
Muhaimin Iskandar, the House Deputy Speaker of the National
\nAwakening Party (PKB), which suspended its factions at the House
\nin protest of former president Abdurrahman Wahid's impeachment by
\nthe People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), was absent<\/p>\n
Earlier on Wednesday, Bambang Kesowo said the government would
\npresent the draft state budget on Sept. 15 at the latest, due to
\ntime constraints.<\/p>\n
Last year, Megawati, as vice president, read the draft state
\nbudget before a House plenary session for Abdurrahman Wahid who
\nis visually impaired. (dja)<\/p>",
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