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)