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)