A trip down the memory lane of MPR General Sessions

A trip down the memory lane of MPR General Sessions

By Sri Wahyuni

JAKARTA (JP): Although it formally opens today, the 1998
General Session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR)
already holds a special place in history.

Compared to its five predecessors during the New Order era, it
begins against a unique backdrop of economic turmoil and amid a
growing chorus calling for reinvigoration of the social, economic
and political fabric of the country.

In a development unheard of in previous sessions, many people
now question the legitimacy of the New Order government, and its
ability to carry on with the struggle to achieve the ideals it
was founded upon.

Millions are waiting to see whether the 1998-2003 State Policy
Guidelines will be able to help the country rise to the challenge
of extricating itself from the woeful economic situation.

Similarities

Of course, there are similarities with past sessions,
including the most talked about issue of presidential and vice
presidential candidates. Not that people expect surprises after
all five factions in the Assembly endorsed incumbent Soeharto and
Minister of Research and Technology B.J. Habibie for the
positions.

Should they be elected, it will be only the second example of
a "ticket" during the New Order era, and the third since the
nation became independent in 1945.

The first package of presidential and vice presidential
candidates was Sukarno-Hatta in that year, followed nearly a
half-century later by Soeharto and Try Sutrisno in the 1993
General Session.

Each General Session stamps its own distinctive cast of
characters and rulings for posterity.

H.J. Naro will always be associated with the congress in 1988.
The man initially nominated by the United Development Party (PPP)
faction as its vice presidential candidate that year provided a
special twist to the proceedings by bucking the implicit
political convention of going with the majority flow.

But Golkar had named Sudharmono as its candidate, and voting
against the ruling organization was not an option. Naro finally
buckled under pressure and wept openly as he left the arena.

This obedience to tradition has sometimes led to intolerance.
Interrupting a meeting is considered a violation of the accepted
tenets, and when an Assembly member dared to do it 10 years ago,
he was dismissed.

Brig. Gen. (now retired) Ibrahim Saleh, a member of the Armed
Forces faction, had hastily left his seat, strode to the podium
and grabbed the microphone to yell out his opposition against
Sudharmono. Although he was pulled away by fellow members, his
action created an uproar and an indelible note in history.

Wary organizers of the 1993 General Session were better
prepared. They enlisted a group of burly security personnel to
keep an eye out for unruly members.

Tradition

A noteworthy feature of previous general sessions is the
practice, introduced by Soeharto at the first General Assembly in
1973, of proposing a draft of State Policy Guidelines to steer
the nation's development for the ensuing five years.

This time around, there is a difference as the ruling
political organization is proposing the draft. This is
considered an advance by some people, at least Golkar leaders.

The 1973 session produced 11 decrees, including that of the
State Policy Guidelines. The 1978 congress also produced 11
decrees, including No. II/MPR/1978 on "the guidance for the
application and implication of the state ideology Pancasila".
Based on this decree, the government established an intensive
campaign to educate citizens about the ideology.

The United Development Party (PPP) faction initially rejected
the decree, but it was finally adopted by vote.

Another important decision of the 1978 General Session was
decree No. VI/MPR/78 on the integration of the East Timor as the
27th province of Indonesia.

The same General Session also elected then House Speaker Adam
Malik vice president as incumbent Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono IX
refused to be renominated. Daryatmo later took over the House
Speaker position.

The same scenario could have played out this year had House
Speaker Harmoko not withdrawn from the vice presidential race
last month.

Ideology

The decree establishing Pancasila as the sole ideology for all
social and political organizations in the country was
controversial.

Moslem groups reacted strongly against the decree because they
believed their organizations should be based on Islam first. The
Association of Moslem Students (HMI) was just one among many
organizations which became divided over the issue.

The 1983 session produced eight decrees, the 1988 session
seven and 1993 yielded five.

According to the 1945 Constitution, the MPR must hold a
general congress of its members at least once every five years.
If necessary, the Assembly could also convene an extraordinary
session.

Thus, two types of sessions are sanctioned: the General
Session -- usually held at the beginning of the Assembly's five-
yearly periods -- and the extraordinary one.

In history, only the Provisional People's Consultative
Assembly (MPRS), formed by a 1959 presidential decree -- has
convened a special session. In all, the MPRS held five general
sessions and one special session which resulted in the adoption
of 46 decrees.

In 1973, there were 920 members of the Assembly, but the
number was increased to 1,000 in 1987 to better cope with the
rising demands of a growing population.

Constitution

The 1945 Constitution requires the General Sessions be held in
the capital, but several were held in other politically important
cities.

In 1946, when Yogyakarta was the capital and residence of then
President Sukarno and Vice President M. Hatta, the Central
National Committee of Indonesia, whose function was the same with
the MPR, held its third general assembly in the nearby town of
Surakarta. The following year, it held its fourth general
assembly in the East Java town of Malang.

In 1955, the acting legislature, known as the Konstituante,
held its general session in the West Java town of Bandung. The
MPRS did the same in the 1960s, holding its first and second
General Sessions in Bandung.