'Ciganjur' leaders fail to appear
'Ciganjur' leaders fail to appear
JAKARTA (JP): Friday came and went, but neither Amien Rais,
Abdurrahman Wahid, Megawati Soekarnoputri nor Sri Sultan
Hamengkubuwono appeared at the People's Consultative Assembly
(MPR) as was possibly planned.
The four political leaders were thought to have been planned
to deliver to the Assembly leaders an eight-point statement they
drafted in Ciganjur subdistrict, South Jakarta, on Tuesday on
political reform.
They insisted, among other things, that the Armed Forces'
(ABRI) role in politics be phased out in six years, and that
President B.J. Habibie's term end three months after the general
election.
The four figures were also expected to help defuse tension
arising from conflicts involving those who were against the
session and those supporting it.
Deputy Assembly Speaker of the Armed Forces faction Lt. Gen.
Hari Sabarno and the head of Golkar's Assembly faction Marzuki
Darusman said there were actually no plans for such a meeting.
"That's just rumors," Hari said.
Marzuki also said his faction had not received any request for
the reported meeting.
Amien's secretary, Junus, confirmed that no one had actually
arranged a meeting. Amien, he said, was only waiting for word
from economist Rizal Ramli who first spoke of the meeting.
Speaking about the content of the leaders' eight-point
statement, Hari said they had been covered in the 12 draft
decrees discussed at the Assembly's Special Session.
"Almost all of their recommendations have been accommodated
into the Special Session's draft decrees," he said.
"Even without their recommendations, the Habibie
administration is obviously a transitional government as it will
end in December next year. (This is true) despite the fact that
Habibie has the constitutional right to complete his
predecessor's presidential term until March 2003," he added.
Amien dismissed suggestions in an interview with state-run
TVRI television station on Friday that the meeting in Ciganjur at
Abdurrahman's residence was a "rival parliamentary meeting."
"I disagree with the allegation that we have established our
own Assembly Special Session," he said. (imn)