Amien calls for peaceful session

JAKARTA (JP): On the eve of the resumption of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), Amien Rais, the speaker of the highest law-making body, appealed to party leaders to cooperate for the sake of a smooth session.

Amien said on Wednesday the party leaders could sit down together and talk about crucial matters, including a power- sharing arrangement, in a bid to ease tension among them.

"I suspect there has been mutual distrust among political parties in the Assembly since communication among them fails in spite of their good intentions," Amien told reporters.

"It would be nice if Mbak Megawati, Akbar Tandjung, Gus Dur, myself, Yusril, Nur Mahmudi, Hamzah Haz, Edi Sudrajat and Wiranto, or his representatives, could all sit down together and talk heart-to-heart about finding the best solutions for the problems the nation is now facing," Amien said, referring to a previous meeting between Indonesian Military chief Gen. Wiranto and leaders of major parties prior to the MPR session late last month.

"That would be so much better than mobilizing people or threatening supporters of other parties," said Amien.

He said the talks would help the Assembly reach the assurance that the upcoming sessions could run untroubled.

"The preliminary talks do not necessarily mean backroom politics, because the party leaders do not have anything to conceal," he said.

Amien also said that as the Assembly's speaker, he hoped the General Session would run smoothly. "Only then can we forget the past and look to the future," he said.

Amien appealed to all supporters of political parties to exercise restraint. He pointed out the fact that mass concentrations of party supporters were found around Jakarta.

"There will be thousands of people mobilized by each party close to the presidential election and this could cause bloody conflicts on the streets," said Amien.

"When will the nation start to solve its problems using its mind rather than its muscle?," asked Amien.

Amien also deplored a certain party which threatened to wage a revolution if its candidate lost the race for presidency.

"It is a great danger, because everybody can make the same threat," he said. "Our people have suffered for a long time. If everybody is talking about revolution, then we all will suffer great losses." (05)