Assembly set to accept Soeharto's speech

Assembly set to accept Soeharto's speech

JAKARTA (JP): All the People's Consultative Assembly factions
said yesterday they would accept President Soeharto's leadership
accountability address, although some added they would do so only
with reservations.

The government factions, Golkar and the regional
representatives, said that the President's accountability speech
delivered to the Assembly on Sunday was "complete and
acceptable."

The regional representatives faction, which is made up chiefly
of government officials, reaffirmed its stand that it would
accept the 2,000-page statement without reservation.

The United Development Party (PPP) and the Indonesian
Democratic Party (PDI) also plan to accept it, albeit with notes
urging the government to do more to end the economic crisis, make
some political changes and do more to combat corruption in the
bureaucracy.

The powerful Armed Forces (ABRI) faction said that it had no
significant problem with Soeharto's speech.

All the five factions in the Assembly will present their views
in a plenary session tomorrow.

Long before the President gave his accountability for the last
five years, all the factions had renominated the man who has been
in power for 32 years unchallenged for a seventh successive term.

An official of the dominant Golkar organization, Z.A. Maulani,
said Soeharto presented a detailed report on the implementation
of his mandate.

"What President Soeharto read in front of last Sunday's
plenary session was only excerpts and some people mistakenly
thought it lacked depth and made little mention of politics," he
told journalists.

Most urgent

"The President focused on the economic aspect because the most
urgent problem facing the country at present is the economic
crisis," he added.

Golkar commands 588 seats in the 1,000-member Assembly.

The head of the regional representatives faction, Hasan Basri
Durin, said he saw no flaws in the President's accountability
report.

"We accept the speech of accountability without reservation,"
he told journalists.

Durin, a former West Sumatra governor, praised Soeharto's
speech as "politically honest, optimistic and realistic".

Durin's deputy, Agum Gumelar, added that the faction had
studied the accountability report carefully before it decided to
accept it unconditionally.

"The President described both the successes and failures in
development efforts," he said. "He was also determined to do his
best to overcome the economic crisis."

PPP faction chief Jusuf Syakir said the party would accept
Soeharto's accountability speech with some reservations.

He said the demand for clean government would highlight the
conditions in exchange for the faction's acceptance of the
speech.

"Many have lauded Indonesia's successful development programs,
but when economic crisis prevails in the region, it is proven
that we suffer the most compared to other countries. There must
be something wrong with us," Jusuf said after an internal meeting
of the Moslem-based faction.

Corruption

"We think corruption, collusion and monopolistic practices
that have reached out to the lowest administrative level must be
blamed for the prolonged crisis. This is the situation we have to
change."

A poll conducted by Hong Kong-based research company PERC last
year put Indonesia on top of the list of Asia's most corrupt
countries.

Jusuf said the next government should set up a special body
assigned to examine possessions of top officials, including
ministers. The body, he added, would have to team up with
prosecutor's offices.

"In short, we demand a continuous nationwide anticorruption
campaign," he said.

The Chairman of the Armed Forces (ABRI) faction in the House
of Representatives, Lt. Gen. Hari Sabarno, said yesterday that
his faction would accept the accountability speech.

"In general, we will accept the President's accountability
speech."

Asked whether the Armed Forces had any reservations, Hari said

"We will include our suggestions on efforts to settle the
ongoing monetary crisis." he said, adding that his faction
supported the steps taken by the government in compliance with
the International Monetary Fund rescue package.

PDI faction chairman Buttu R. Hutapea said his party did not
have any major objections to the accountability speech.

He said his faction would propose that each political
organization should be allowed to establish branch offices in
villages.

"It's currently difficult for us (PDI) to establish our
political basis in villages because political organizations
cannot operate branch offices at that level," he said.

He said that the PDI faction would also propose a change in
the electoral system. (pan/imn/byg/imn)