Challenges facing the MPR

Challenges facing the MPR

In just little more than a month Indonesia's highest lawmaking
institution, the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), will begin
its 10-day general assembly to deliberate topics and policies
that may have the most far-reaching consequences for this
country.

Under the 1945 Constitution, the MPR is the highest body
representing the people's sovereignty. Hence, the edicts and
policy outlines that it produces will provide the basis for every
other law and regulation in this country. Most important, it is
up to the MPR to elect a president and vice president to lead and
administer the country for the next five years.

As reports have indicated, it appears that at this stage most
of the crucial problems lying in the way of a smooth process have
already been worked out. A draft for the basic outlines of state
policy for the newly elected president to carry out has been
formulated. Presumably, any major problems concerning the
inclusion of some novel subjects, such as human rights, have also
been cleared.

As for the chair of the presidency itself, there is no longer
any doubt at this stage that incumbent President Soeharto will be
reelected. The only question remaining is who will assist him as
vice president -- a question that under normal circumstances is
of minimal interest because the vice president has always served
merely to assist the president.

It appears, then, that the upcoming general assembly of the
MPR will proceed not much different from what we have been
accustomed to in the past three decades. No major divergences are
expected, especially since the 1,000-seat assembly is still
heavily dominated -- or even a little more so -- by the same
factions who have formed the body's absolute majority ever since
the present New Order administration was born in the late 1960s.

This being the case, it is not surprising that many observers
expect this year's general session of the MPR to be business as
usual, in the sense that few changes or novel policy directives
are to be expected. Perhaps the reason is that in the run-up to
the general session -- from last year's general election up until
recently -- occurred under circumstances that were totally
different from those existing at present.

Which, given the present drastically changed conditions,
raises the question of whether the MPR in its present
constellation will be able to come up with products that can
accommodate the demands of the times. No one, after all, will
deny that, even at this stage, the monetary and economic crisis
has gone well beyond the boundaries of monetary and economic
policies.

Drastic policy decisions have already been taken by the
government that, in the view of many observers, are quite
revolutionary in character. Among other things, monopolies are
being dismantled, subsidies and public funding for special
projects have been withdrawn, and the central bank, Bank
Indonesia, has been given the autonomy to make its own monetary
policy decisions. All of these measures have been taken with the
aim of improving the efficiency of our national economy.

But now that the basic policy decisions have been made, it is
up to the state apparatus in the lower echelons to see to it that
the decisions are duly implemented. Whether they are up to the
task is a question that is well worth asking.

For one thing, an effective control mechanism -- generally
lacking so far -- will be needed to ensure that deviations and
irregularities can be prevented. An impartial and effective
judiciary is needed to make sure that rights are protected and
offenders are penalized.

In short, laudable as the measures may be, much still remains
to be done to support them. It is to be hoped that the factions
represented in the MPR will have the wisdom to take the decisions
that are necessary to face the unfamiliar challenges of the new
millennium.