Setting a good precedent<\/p>\n
On the face of it, and despite all the talk about impeachment
\nand security threats, it seems that Indonesians have little to
\nworry about during the Annual Session of the People's
\nConsultative Assembly (MPR), which starts on Monday.<\/p>\n
As news reports in a number of publications in the past week
\nhave it, thousands of members of Banser, a civilian militia
\ncontrolled by the youth wing of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), have
\n\"infiltrated\" Jakarta and are prepared to act if there is any
\nindication that there is an effort to unseat President
\nAbdurrahman Wahid during the Annual Session.<\/p>\n
Abdurrahman, after all, was until his election to the
\npresidency in October last year, a highly revered chairman of
\nNahdlatul Ulama as well as cofounder of the National Awakening
\nParty (PKB), which has the third largest faction in the Assembly.<\/p>\n
The authorities, however, appear to be quite serious in their
\nthreat to clamp down on troublemakers during the session, and the
\npolice are under orders to shoot troublemakers on the spot. Party
\nmilitias or any other paramilitary civilian forces are barred
\nfrom the vicinity of the MPR building in Central Jakarta.<\/p>\n
One major threat, indeed, is that certain factions or
\nindividual members in the MPR could try to steer the Assembly
\ntoward turning the Annual Session into a special session for the
\npurpose of impeaching the President, thereby provoking his
\nsupporters.<\/p>\n
But to squash some of the tension that this confrontation has
\nproduced in the past weeks, leaders of the two largest factions
\nin the Assembly -- those of Golkar and the Indonesian Democratic
\nParty of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) -- have made it publicly known
\nthat their factions have no intention of turning the session into
\na special session for such a purpose.<\/p>\n
A similar statement was issued by the chairman of the National
\nAwakening Party (PAN) and speaker of the MPR, Amien Rais,
\nalthough cynics may doubt the sincerity of such a statement
\ncoming from Amien, who -- rightly or wrongly -- has a reputation
\nfor being inconsistent in word and deed.<\/p>\n
Besides, the fact that certain members, especially those in
\nthe PDI Perjuangan faction, still remain highly critical of
\nPresident Abdurrahman Wahid because of the dismissal of two of
\nhis Cabinet ministers some time ago, together with the
\npossibility of \"money politics\", or vote buying, adds to the
\nuncertainty of the situation. This problem still hangs like a
\nsword of Damocles over Abdurrahman's head, although efforts have
\nbeen made to defuse the situation.<\/p>\n
Whatever the stance of the political parties in this matter
\nmay be, however, for the Indonesian public at large there is
\nnothing to be gained and a good deal to the lost from impeaching
\nthe President so soon at the beginning of his political career.<\/p>\n
Under the current Constitution drafted in 1945, the President
\nis required to account for his actions and policies only at the
\nend of his five-year term. Or the MPR could call a special
\nsession whenever it is found by the House of Representatives, the
\nlower house of the Indonesian legislature, that the President has
\ndigressed from the Constitution.<\/p>\n
The majority of Indonesians, no doubt, would prefer that
\nthings were left as they are. Amending the Constitution to
\nempower the annual sessions of the MPR to call a special session
\nwould open the door to political chaos and uncertainty worse than
\nthe nation experienced in the 1950s. What the consequences would
\nbe of having a new president every year is something that would
\nbe difficult to foretell.<\/p>\n
Because of all this it is of paramount importance that the MPR
\nthis time set a good precedent for future annual sessions to
\nfollow. For that to be possible, it is important that all the
\nparties involved set aside their group and individual petty
\ninterests and start working for the good of the nation. Not only
\nIndonesians, but foreign investors too are watching with interest
\nwhat direction this country's top legislative body will take.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/setting-a-good-precedent-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}