Support looms for security decree reintroduction<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Support grew over the weekend for President
\nSoeharto's call on the succeeding People's Consultative Assembly
\nlegislators to redeliberate a security decree.<\/p>\n
The chairman of the Supreme Advisory Council, Sudomo, said the
\npossible reintroduction of the 1988 decree would not necessarily
\nmean the revival of the defunct Operational Command for the
\nRestoration of Security and Order (Kopkamtib). The body was
\nsuccessful in handling major political crises in the 1970s but
\nalso struck fear in many people.<\/p>\n
\"No, it's not true (the decree would revive the command),\" he
\ntold reporters after attending the President's state-of-the-
\nnation speech before the House of Representatives.<\/p>\n
Sudomo, a former chief of the command, said the decree could
\nserve as a preventive measure against latent security
\ndisturbances and subversion.<\/p>\n
He cited various upheavals over the past several years and
\nsaid that, had the government relied solely on the Criminal Code
\nProcedures, it would have been too late for the security forces
\nto take action on any security problems.<\/p>\n
\"The Criminal Code Procedures only allow security officers to
\ntake action whenever an incident has already happened,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Sudomo appeased concerns over placing undue power on a
\npresident if the decree were reintroduced. He said the House of
\nRepresentatives was in charge of a mechanism that controlled a
\npresident's authority.<\/p>\n
The decree says a president must report to the House whenever
\nhe or she exercises the authority and will be held responsible
\nfor his or her decision.<\/p>\n
It allows a president to take preemptive measures when the
\nstate ideology Pancasila, the constitution and the development
\nprogram are endangered. It was first passed by the Provisional
\nPeople's Consultative Assembly in its special session in 1966 and
\nwas maintained until the 1988 general session.<\/p>\n
Golkar secretary-general Ary Marjono said Soeharto made the
\ncall for a redeliberation of the security decree in a closed-door
\nlecture that marked the opening on Aug. 9 of a crash course for
\nfuture House legislators.<\/p>\n
Separately, former House speaker Kharis Suhud asked people to
\nview the President's call positively, saying it would be up to
\nthe future legislators to answer the call.<\/p>\n
\"Leave it to the People's Consultative Assembly,\" said Kharis,
\nwho appeared reluctant to comment on the issue. Kharis chaired
\nthe assembly in the 1988\/1993 period.<\/p>\n
However, he said that as far as security was concerned,
\nIndonesians had no cause to worry.<\/p>\n
Armed Forces Chief Gen. Feisal Tanjung and former Army chief
\nof staff Gen. (ret) R. Hartono have also jumped on the bandwagon
\nof those supporting the idea of reintroducing the security
\ndecree.<\/p>\n
Both expressed agreement that Indonesia should learn from its
\npast experience in coping with crisis.<\/p>\n
The two minority parties, the United Development Party (PPP)
\nand the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI), said they had yet to
\ncome to a decision on whether to support or oppose the call.<\/p>\n
\"We are studying it from many view points, including its
\nrelevance to the current development, urgency and how it should
\nwork,\" PPP deputy chairwoman Aisyah Amini said yesterday.<\/p>\n
She said the Moslem-based party did not treat the President's
\ncall as top priority in its ongoing preparations for the general
\nsession of the People's Consultative Assembly next March.<\/p>\n
The 1,000-strong assembly will convene, draft and adopt the
\n1998 Broad Guidelines of State Policies. It will also adopt a
\npresident and a vice president.<\/p>\n
PDI chairman Soerjadi reiterated that the party's central
\nboard of executives would cautiously look into the call.<\/p>\n
\"We have to know the motives behind the idea. Is it in
\nanticipation to the future or (because of) a recollection of the
\npast,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He noted that the assembly decided not to deliberate the
\nsecurity decree in 1993 only after much debate. \"But if the idea
\nresurfaces now, the PDI is set to discuss it,\" he said.
\n(imn\/amd\/10)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/support-looms-for-security-decree-reintroduction-1447893297",
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