Abdurrahman and Amien excluded from MPR lineup

JAKARTA (JP): Abdurrahman Wahid and Amien Rais, leaders of the two largest Moslem organizations in Indonesia, are among the most notable absentees in the new lineup of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) to be installed on Oct. 1.

Secretary-general of the Ministry of Home Affairs Suryatna Subrata confirmed to reporters yesterday that the two figures had not been included on the list of candidates for MPR selected from public figures.

The list was submitted by the Ministry of Home Affairs for President Soeharto's approval and the government was expected to announce the final list soon, possibly this week, he said.

"The candidates have been proposed by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Golkar and other institutions, but the final decision is up to the President," he said after attending a hearing with the House of Representatives Commission II for home affairs.

Suryatna declined to state the reason for the exclusion of Abdurrahman and Amien, both known as staunch critics of the government. Traditionally, leaders of major organizations were given seats in MPR.

Abdurrahman, better known as Gus Dur, chairs the rurally based Moslem organization Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) with an estimated 30 million followers. He served in MPR representing the Golkar faction from 1987 to 1993.

Amien took charge of the 28 million-strong modernist Muhammadiyah in 1995. He is also a member of the Association of Indonesian Moslem Intellectuals, which is led by State Minister of Research and Technology B.J. Habibie.

The 1,000 seats of the Assembly, which elects a president and vice president and endorses the State Policy Guidelines for the next five years, is divided into five factions: Golkar, the United Development Party, the Indonesian Democratic Party, the Armed Forces and regional representatives.

Only 425 seats are allocated to the three political organizations that contested in the May general election. The rest are given to public figures in the military and the provinces.

Meanwhile, Minister of Home Affairs Moch. Yogie S.M. said the General Elections Institute had received the list of 149 candidates for MPR's regional representatives faction.

Lampung Governor Poedjono Pranjoto, who had been nominated to head the faction, would relinquish his gubernatorial post by inauguration day for the 1,000 MPR members on Oct. 1, he said.

Suryatna said governors, regional military commanders and rectors of state-run universities were among candidates selected for the regional representatives faction.

Meanwhile, Golkar executives held a closed plenary meeting late yesterday evening, apparently to decide its team lineup for the upcoming general session of the Assembly.

With Golkar chairman Harmoko dubbed as the hot favorite for the House Speaker post, State Minister of National Development Planning Ginandjar Kartasasmita and Theo Sambuaga were tipped to lead the faction in MPR and the House respectively.

Golkar deputy chairwoman Siti Hardiyanti Indra Rukmana and treasurer Bambang Trihatmodjo, both Soeharto's children, are likely to join the team.

Golkar official after the meeting said that the line-up would be announced on Sept. 25.

Separately, executives of the United Development Party (PPP) postponed the formation of its squad for the March general session until Friday. The party's deputy secretary Zarkasih Nur, who presided over the closed meeting, said some of his colleagues had nominated Hamzah Haz and Yusuf Syakir as PPP's leaders in MPR and DPR respectively. (imn/amd)