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.