Committee to amend 1945 Constitution

JAKARTA (JP): A working committee of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) agreed on Thursday to propose amendments to 10 articles in the 1945 Constitution which will limit the power of the president.

The most noteworthy amendment proposed is the limiting of the presidential and vice presidential posts to two five-year terms.

According to Article 7 of the current Constitution, the president and vice president may hold office for an initial term of five years, after which they can be reelected an indeterminate number of times.

Critics and legislators have said that the article was deliberately misinterpreted or abused by Indonesia's two former presidents in order to stay in power.

Sukarno, the country's founding president, and Soeharto held office for respectively 22 years and 32 years.

Critics also said that chapters in the Constitution enabled the former presidents to perpetuate their control of the country in a "constitutional manner".

The committee also agreed to revoke the legislative power of a president as stipulated in Article 5 and give the power to the House of Representatives.

Committee members said this amendment would mean a law could become effective after endorsement by the House, and would be no longer dependent on the president's approval.

According to the amendment, a law will automatically become effective if it is not signed by the president within 30 days of the House's approval.

The committee said the amendment would maintain the right of the president to make laws, but that he or she would not be able to force the House to deliberate and endorse them.

The committee also agreed to reduce presidential prerogatives, including the privileges of appointing diplomats and granting amnesties and awards.

The amendment to Article 13 and Article 14 of the Constitution stipulates that the House's opinion must be taken into consideration by the president before diplomats are appointed, and before the sentences of prisoners are commuted or an amnesty granted.

Article 15 of the Constitution, which stipulates the president has privileges to confer awards and medals has also been amended.

The amendment states that the future conferring of awards will be regulated through a law.

The conferment of medals is an annual tradition held at the State Palace in conjunction with Indonesia's independence anniversary.

This year's ceremony was notable for the exceptionally high number of medals presented.

President B.J. Habibie conferred in August meritorious service stars on 107 people, including many public figures from his inner circle.

Habibie also conferred in August last year the country's highest honor -- the Bintang Republik Indonesia medal -- on his wife Hasri Ainun Besari.

The proposed amendments will be brought to the Assembly plenary meeting for endorsement.

After the plenary session, which is scheduled to end on Oct. 21, the committee will also revise other articles from the Constitution. It will deliberate a draft on direct presidential elections and another draft on the evaluation of state institutions, including the Assembly, the Supreme Advisory Council and the Supreme Audit Agency. (byg)