Assembly still undecided on crunching issues

Assembly still undecided on crunching issues

JAKARTA (JP): The People's Consultative Assembly reached
agreement yesterday on minor economic issues but failed to solve
long-standing bickerings on political and religious affairs, as
the body resumed deliberation of the draft 1998/2003 State Policy
Guidelines.

The clauses on floating mass political policy, civil servants'
monoloyalty toward Golkar, the questions of nondenominational
faiths and human rights protection were left hanging in the
balance as the team of 15 ended its session yesterday afternoon.

"We have traded arguments on the issues many times since the
start (of deliberations), but no compromise has been reached so
far," said team member Muhammad Buang.

"I suggested the team end today's (yesterday) meeting earlier.
To proceed with a full session would be a waste of time," Buang
said.

He said the team agreed during the session to slash its
membership to only eight to smooth the way to compromise. The
team of eight takes over the deliberation starting today.

The smaller group comprises chairman R. Hartono, deputy
chairman Susilo Bambang Yudoyono, secretary Eddy Waluyo and five
members representing the five factions in the Assembly.

The members are Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana of Golkar, Buang of
the United Development Party (PPP), Soedarjanto of the Indonesian
Democratic Party (PDI), Darmansyah Sabaruddin of the Armed Forces
and Ida Bagus Oka of the regional representatives.

Buang said PPP and PDI maintained their demand that the
floating mass policy be revoked. The policy had been blamed for
political parties' ineffectiveness as they were barred from
reaching subdistricts and villages.

PPP and PDI also suggested the Assembly abolish the mandatory
affiliation of civil servants to the dominant Golkar.

PPP was alone in urging the Assembly to exclude
nondenominational faiths from the religious affairs section and
to establish a separate decree on human rights.

"How can we ensure human rights protection if the policy
guidelines attach only two sentences on human rights?" Buang
asked.

Hartono said the Assembly team deliberating the policy
guidelines agreed yesterday to drop PDI's motion to regulate
"modern bureaucracy" as one of the development objectives.

"The motion did not receive any support," he said.

The Assembly's ad hoc committee in charge of non-state policy
guidelines dropped yesterday the PPP-sponsored draft on a
democratic economy and another draft on a clean government. The
latter draft was supported by PDI.

Committee chairman Wiranto said the decision was taken in
intensive lobbying among representatives of the five factions.
The committee, instead, recommended that the substance of the
motions go to the 1998/2003 State Policy Guidelines.

With yesterday's compromise, the committee has now endorsed 11
out of 14 draft decrees since it began deliberations on Oct. 27.

It will start discussing PPP's and PDI's motions on human
rights today, followed next week by the deliberation of two
drafts on political organization which was supported by the two
minority factions.

After more than three weeks of debate, the committee has yet
to reach an agreement on drafts of general election rules
proposed by PPP and PDI. (amd)