Regional reps set to have own faction in MPR<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Regional representatives in the People's Consultative Assembly
\n(MPR) will finally be permitted to form their own faction when
\nthe assembly gathers for its belated Annual Session next month.<\/p>\n
It remains unclear, however, whether the new faction will be
\nformed at the start of the meeting, which opens on Nov. 1, or
\ntoward the end, according to the head of the MPR committee
\npreparing the establishment of the faction.<\/p>\n
The matter of when the faction is formed would be determined
\non the opening day of the MPR Annual Session, Rambe Kamarulzaman,
\nthe head of Ad Hoc Committee II told a media briefing on Monday.<\/p>\n
Most factions had agreed in principle to the establishment of
\nthe new faction, Rambe said.<\/p>\n
The question of timing is all that remains, he added.<\/p>\n
MPR Speaker Amien Rais, who chaired the briefing, said the
\nAnnual Session would last between eight and 10 days, depending on
\nhow soon the Assembly members could complete their work.<\/p>\n
The MPR is scheduled to endorse the third series of amendments
\nto the 1945 Constitution, and at least five decrees. The decrees
\nrelate to the MPR's in-house rules and proceedings; national
\nethics; a vision of the future of Indonesia and the 2020 vision;
\nthe eradication and prevention of corruption, collusion and
\nnepotism; and land reform and natural resources management.<\/p>\n
Rambe did not rule out the possibility of other decrees in
\naddition to the five already prepared by his committee.<\/p>\n
There had been rumors about the possibility of factions
\nproposing a decree on the establishment of a constitutional
\ncommission and another on emergency measures to ensure economic
\nrecovery.<\/p>\n
Establishment of the regional representatives faction would be
\naccommodated in the new in-house rules and proceedings.<\/p>\n
The 130 regional representatives at the 700-strong MPR
\nrepresents a potentially powerful block, but in the absence of
\ntheir own faction, their voices, and votes, had been
\nredistributed between the political factions at MPR proceedings.<\/p>\n
The representatives, who were democratically elected, have
\ndemanded their own faction, arguing that the political factions
\nwere still too dominated by the interests of Jakarta-based
\npoliticians and often failed to represent the aspirations of the
\npeople in the regions.<\/p>\n
Rambe cautioned that some existing MPR factions still had
\nreservations about the establishment of a new regional
\nrepresentatives faction.<\/p>\n
The regional representatives faction would become the third
\nnon-partisan faction in the MPR along with the faction for
\ninterest groups and the Indonesian Military\/National Police
\nfaction.<\/p>\n
The draft decree on Vision 2020 calls for the development of a
\nsociety that is religious, united, democratic, just, prosperous,
\nadvanced and governed by a clean and good state.<\/p>\n
The draft decree on the prevention of corruption calls for the
\nenactment of various items of legislation dealing with such
\nissues as the establishment of an anti-corruption commission, a
\nwitness and victim protection program, organized crimes and money
\nlaundering.<\/p>\n
The decree for national ethics calls for a code of ethics in
\npolitics, business, law enforcement and science.<\/p>\n
Slamet Jusuf Effendi, the head of the First Ad Hoc Committee
\ndebating the constitutional amendment, said there had already
\nbeen a widespread consensus about using a direct presidential
\nelection system and about the introduction of a regional council
\nthat would function more or less like a senate.<\/p>\n
Slamet said the proposed amendment would also expand the scope
\nof areas of impeachable offenses against the president beyond
\nmerely political offenses as in the current Constitution.<\/p>\n
The current MPR succeeded in impeaching President Abdurrahman
\nWahid in July, paving the way for the rise of Megawati
\nSoekarnoputri.<\/p>\n
For I-box<\/p>\n
Decrees to be endorsed<\/p>\n
at MPR Annual Session<\/p>\n
1. Third series of constitutional amendments<\/p>\n
2. New MPR rules and proceedings<\/p>\n
3. National ethics<\/p>\n
4. Vision of future Indonesia, including Vision 2020<\/p>\n
5. Eradication and prevention of KKN<\/p>\n
6. Land reform and natural resource management<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/regional-reps-set-to-have-own-faction-in-mpr-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }