Assembly's synchronizing team to meet today
Assembly's synchronizing team to meet today
JAKARTA (JP): The People's Consultative Assembly will convene
a synchronizing team today to resolve 20 unsettled issues left
over from the regular sessions to deliberate the draft 1998/2003
State Policy Guidelines.
One of the team members, Muhammad Buang, said over the weekend
that the synchronizing team was formed to smooth the way for a
unanimous approval of the draft.
"The team will seek compromises through intensive lobbying.
All agreements reached in the team's deliberation will be adopted
as the Assembly's decision," said Buang who represents the United
Development Party (PPP) faction.
The team will comprise 15 members representing all five
factions in the Assembly.
R. Hartono of dominant Golkar faction has been named the
team's leader.
All the contentious matters which have to be settled were
proposed by PPP and fellow minority faction PDI.
Buang said these issues include clauses on democratic economy,
bureaucratic reforms, judicial review of laws by the Supreme
Court, abolition of civil servants' political affiliation to
Golkar, administrative roles given to poll contestants in general
elections and the exclusion of nondenominational faiths from
religious development.
"We are afraid that if we don't initiate a smaller forum, we
might not be able to reach any decision on those problematic
matters," Buang said, adding that such a practice applied in the
deliberation of the 1993/1998 State Policy Guidelines in which he
took part five years ago.
He predicted that the toughest debate would be on PPP's demand
for the exclusion of nondenominational faiths from the religious
affairs section in the policy guidelines.
A deadlock spree has marred the deliberation of the draft
guidelines since it kicked off on Oct. 27. The deliberation will
run until Jan. 23 next year.
The Assembly will resume its general session in March to
endorse the draft.
Deliberations for unanimous agreement is usually highly
preferred than voting.
Buang said, however, the synchronizing team did not have to
force compromises if either PPP or PDI refused to give up their
motions.
"Our job now is preparing, not approving, a draft. The
endorsement will be made in the second stage of the Assembly
general session next March," he said.
Filling the seats in the team are five Golkar representatives,
including Minister of Information Hartono. Moslem-based faction
the United Development Party (PPP), the Armed Forces and regional
representatives factions have two seats each, while the
Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) has one.
All the team members were picked from the 45-strong Assembly
ad hoc committee in charge of the State Policy Guidelines. (amd)