'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)