Assembly open to last-minute input

BOGOR, West Java (JP): The People's Consultative Assembly is open to public input on deliberation of state policy guidelines up to their formal endorsement next March, the Assembly's deputy speaker said yesterday.

Poedjono Pranjoto said the Assembly had not set a time limit on receiving people's aspirations before the general session in which the guidelines will be adopted.

"There is no such thing as too late for an aspiration to be heard, as long as the deliberation is still ongoing," he told journalists attending a two-day crash course here on the legislature.

"I don't think people's motions which come in at the last minute will be a problem for us."

Poedjono was commenting on a proposal for amendment to state policy guidelines submitted by a team of presidential advisors on dissemination of the state ideology Pancasila. Former vice president Sudharmono heads the team.

R. Hartono, who chairs the Assembly ad hoc committee in charge of deliberating state policy guidelines, said the proposal was too late as the committee had already agreed to adopt the Golkar draft as the outline of the 1998/2003 State Policy Guidelines.

Poedjono, former governor of Lampung, chairs the 90-strong Assembly working committee which is now midway through deliberation of 14 drafts of decree.

The committee will seek approval on the drafts from its members on Jan. 23. The 1,000 Assembly members will endorse the drafts and elect a president and vice president during a plenary session scheduled from March 1 to March 11.

Poedjono said it was up to factions in the Assembly whether to accept the public aspirations.

"My job is channeling the aspirations to the five factions," he said.

He said many people had relayed their support for presidential and vice presidential candidates to the Assembly.

Poedjono said the law allows each faction to forward its own nominees for the two top state leadership positions.

While President Soeharto's reelection appears a foregone conclusion, the election of the vice president is wide open. Incumbent Try Sutrisno, Hartono, Minister of Research and Technology B.J. Habibie and House Speaker Harmoko have been tipped among the favorites.

Poedjono said individuals or groups were free to campaign for their respective candidates as long as this was done through the Assembly. (amd)