Assembly to pass amended constitution

JAKARTA (JP): After days of fierce debate, the first Annual Session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) looks set for a happy ending.

All factions hinted on Tuesday their principle support for the work of the three commissions tasked with preparing draft decrees and amendments to the 1945 Constitution.

The commissions submitted seven draft chapters to be incorporated into the Constitution, six draft decrees and a draft decree appendix on evaluation of the state institutions' progress reports.

The 227-member Commission A which deliberated the draft amendments to the Constitution completed only seven of 15 chapters proposed. Commission B finished six draft decrees, which included amendments to the Assembly's internal rulings, the separation of the Indonesian Military (TNI) from National Police and national unity.

The draft decree appendix handed over by the Commission C contains the Assembly's recommendations to state institutions after evaluating their progress reports.

Jacob Tobing, Commission A chairman, apologized for his team's failure to complete deliberation of 15 chapters prepared by the Assembly's working committee.

"The failure was not because of not enough deliberation but because of our extra-cautiousness when deliberating all materials," he told a plenary session presided over by MPR Speaker Amien Rais.

The seven chapters of constitutional amendments to be endorsed deal with regional administrations, state territory, human rights, defense and security and national flag, language, symbol and anthem.

He said after the plenary session that the commission decided not to deliberate chapters on religions, direct presidential election and the military/police's presence at the Assembly for fear that they would spark bitter debate in the society.

Rambe Kamarulzaman, Commission B chairman, said all factions in his commission had no serious difficulties in deliberating the six draft decrees prepared by the working committee because the commission was free from political interests.

The chairman of Commission C, Faisal Baasir, said that his commission proposed the appendix to show the Assembly's serious attention to the government's poor performance.

"The appendix is a gentle instruction for the President to issue a detailed presidential decree on the Vice President's new tasks. With a clear division of labor between the President and Vice President, the government is expected to improve its performance in years to come," he said.

The MPR is slated to make a final decision on the recommendations in a plenary session on Friday.

In their responses to the commissions' reports, all factions supported the changes made to the constitution, except for three sensitive issues.

The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) and the Golkar Party, the two biggest factions at the Assembly, confirmed their refusal to deliberate the three crucial issues to avoid splitting society.

The United Development Party (PPP), Crescent Star Party (PBB) and Reform factions said they wished to insert the syariah (Islamic law) in chapter 29 of the Constitution.

Several minority factions proposed a direct presidential election. The major factions turned down it on the grounds that the nation was not yet ready for it.

The major factions also agreed to write the Indonesian Military/National Police's presence at the Assembly in the constitution despite criticisms from minority factions and from many people outside the Assembly.

Permadi, spokesman for the PDI Perjuangan faction, said all materials untouched in the session should be deliberated by the Assembly's working committee and endorsed by the Assembly in 2002 at the latest.

"Our faction wants the Assembly to decide on all the crucial materials to be deliberated by the working committee in cooperation with an independent team of experts," he said.

The PBB faction dismissed fears of the application of syariah as exaggerated and baseless, saying Islamic law would only be imposed on Muslim people.

"If Islamic law takes effect, all Muslim people would be obliged to comply with it and it will not be imposed on non- Muslim citizens ... ," M.S. Kaban, spokesman for the PBB faction, said in the plenary session.

Except the PDI Perjuangan and National Awakening factions which were tight-lipped about the government's progress report, all factions gave their support to the draft decree recommending President Abdurrahman Wahid issue a detailed presidential decree on Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri's new tasks.

The Golkar faction was critical of the government's poor performance. But it appreciated the President's good will in assigning the Vice President with the day-to-day running of government.

"The delegation of duties should incorporate authority," Simon Petrus Morin, Golkar faction spokesman, said.

The PDI Perjuangan faction asked that the delegation of duties should not cause conflict between the President and the Vice President and their supporters.

"We do not want the handover of tasks to spark both psychological and political conflicts between the President and the Vice President and a rift at the grassroots," said Permadi. (team)