Assembly finalizes preparations for General Session

Assembly finalizes preparations for General Session

JAKARTA (JP): The People's Consultative Assembly rehearsed for
its General Session yesterday as the 1,000 members checked into
their hotel accommodation for the March 1 to March 11 gathering
that will eat up almost Rp 45 billion ($5 million) in taxpayers'
money.

Security was tightened at the parliamentary compound on Jl.
Gatot Subroto, with dozens of troops and police seen patrolling
at every corner of the venue of the quinquennial event. At least
10 armored cars were parked near the Assembly building.

Other activities marking the final countdown for the session
included minor refurbishing of the main convention hall and the
installment of telephone boxes and other telecommunications
devices.

Assembly Secretary-General Afif Ma'roef said yesterday the
legislators would stay at four hotels in the city's business
center. In additional to room expenses, the secretariat-general
is covering daily meals and the laundry of all the legislators,
from yesterday through March 13.

Afif said each legislator would get a daily session allowance
of Rp 60,000 plus an honorarium of Rp 600,000.

The 737 Golkar and regional representatives members are being
accommodated at Hotel Indonesia and Hotel President, both on Jl.
M.H. Thamrin. All 134 representatives of the United Development
Party (PPP) are staying at Hotel Sahid Jaya on Jl. Sudirman,
while the 16 Indonesian Democratic Party legislators and 113
representatives of the Armed Forces are being put up at Hotel
Sari Pan Pacific on Jl. Thamrin.

The monetary crisis has caused the budget for the General
Session to double. Afif said the convention was projected to cost
Rp 44.7 billion, compared to Rp 24.3 billion five years ago.

He said more than Rp 30 billion of the budget had been used to
finance the preliminary stage of the General Session which ended
last month.

"The increase is quite understandable due to the sharp
appreciation of the U.S. dollar against the rupiah," Afif said,
adding that the present budget for the General Session was based
on a rupiah exchange rate of 5,000 to the dollar.

The massive security measures drew complaints yesterday from
PPP. Party executive Hamzah Haz said the huge deployment of
troops and police had sparked anxiety among the people.

"It seems that the incoming session will serve as a rubber
stamping ceremony of all the outcomes of the preliminary stage.
So why should we take such extraordinary security precautions?

"I'm afraid it will cause the current democratization to
suffer a setback," Hamzah told a media conference.

Twenty-five thousand security personnel from the Army, Navy,
Air Force and police have been deployed to safeguard the Assembly
convention which will endorse the 1998/2003 State Policy
Guidelines and elect a president and vice president.

Increased security measures have also been implemented across
the country to anticipate any disturbances to the Assembly
session.

A wave of riots over prices has hit more than 25 towns and
cities in Java, Sulawesi, Kalimantan, Sumatra and Nusa Tenggara
over the past two months. At least five people died during the
unrest.

Security reasons are behind the Jakarta Education and Culture
Office's decision to ask schools to take a break during the 11
days the Assembly meets. (byg/amd)