Abdurrahman and Amien excluded from MPR lineup

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)