Assembly to pass amended constitution

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)