1. MPR: 12 x 4 lines
1. MPR: 12 x 4 lines MPR won't assess Megawati's progress report Following a series of meetings, all 12 factions in the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) have agreed not to assess the progress report presented by President Megawati Soekarnoputri at the Annual Session in August.
The agreement to drop the assessment plan may reduce the duration of the Annual Session from the scheduled 12 days to only 10.
The deputy chairman of the ad hoc committee for the schedule of the Annual Session, Rully Chairul, Azwar confirmed that the Assembly factions would not make a specific assessment of the President's progress report.
"The assessment will be made by a specific commission that will later give recommendations to the President. This will save time," Rully told reporters on the sidelines of a meeting at the Santika Hotel here on Tuesday.
2. CHILD: 24 x 2 lines Nation asked to uphold children's rights Both the government and the legislature lack the political will to put forward children's interests, ignoring the importance of upholding their rights in the country, an expert said.
Noted child psychologist Seto Mulyadi said on Tuesday that the government and the legislature had ignored the children's rights by postponing the endorsement of child protection law.
"We regretted the decision to postpone the endorsement as it will also delay the improvement of child protection in the country," Seto said.
He charged that the lack of political will was obvious, with many child problems -- from prostitution, labors and street children -- have yet to be solved.
3. CYBER: 27 x 1 line Cyber law must meet global standards
A six-member expert team of the Non-aligned Movement (NAM) urged NAM member countries to adopt international standards for their cyber laws to minimize legal barriers in e-commerce, and provide a common platform to curb cyber crimes.
The expert team under NAM's Center for South-South Technical Cooperation (CSSTC) ended on Tuesday a two-day discussion on harmonizing national e-commerce laws amongst NAM members.
CSSTC executive director Omar Halim said making Indonesia's cyber law compatible with international standards would raise confidence of doing business with Indonesian partners.
4. GUS: 25 x 2 lines Gus Dur suggests a delay in Constitution's amended articles Public hope for a direct presidential election faces another challenge as former president Abdurrahman Wahid suggested on Tuesday that the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) delay the implementation of the amended articles in the 1945 Constitution.
Abdurrahman, better known as Gus Dur, said the implementation must be postponed because of some conflicting articles displayed in the amended constitution.
He called for the setting up of a constitution commission to harmonize those conflicting articles.
"If there is no harmonization by the constitution commission, there will be contradictory articles," Gus Dur was quoted by Antara as saying at a ceremony commemorating the fourth anniversary of the National Awakening Party (PKB) in Lamongan, East Java.