Deadlock unlikely at Annual Session: Amien

Deadlock unlikely at Annual Session: Amien

Kurniawan Hari
The Jakarta Post
Jakarta

Despite some articles that have yet to be decided upon, the
People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) expressed a commitment on
Tuesday that it would finalize the last part of the latest
constitutional amendment process during its Annual Session,
scheduled to take place from Aug. 1 through Aug. 12.

Assembly speaker Amien Rais brushed aside fears of possible
deadlock in the Annual Session, saying that a series of meetings
involving the 11 factions had almost produced a consensus.

"I am optimistic. God willing, that the amendment process will
finish (in August) as the factions have almost reached a
consensus (on the unsolved issues)," Amien told the press after
presiding over a meeting to hear the latest progress in the
amendment progress and discuss the preparations for the Annual
Session in August.

Only 69 of the Assembly's 90-strong working body, locally
known as Badan Pekerja, showed up at the hearing.

Apart from dealing with the amendment process, the Annual
Session is scheduled to issue a decree on the guidelines for
economic recovery, which is expected to serve as a reference for
the government.

Chairman of the Assembly's ad hoc committee for constitutional
amendment Jakob Tobing acknowledged that there were still several
articles that still had not been agreed upon.

Among the problematic articles were the structure and
composition of the Assembly, second round elections, the
abolition of the Supreme Advisory Council (DPA), the
incorporation of a mandatory Islamic law requirement into the
Constitution, and the national monetary unit.

The issue of a second round presidential election has become a
major concern as such an arrangement could prove prone to back-
door wheeling and dealing.

The proposed constitutional amendment requires presidential
and vice-presidential nominees to garner more than half of the
overall national vote before they can be sworn in as the
president and the vice-president.

Assembly factions have yet to reach agreement on what should
happen if the nominees fail to collect half of the overall
national vote.

One camp insists on giving the Assembly the authority to
decide the crucial matter, while another suggests the holding of
a second round, or runoff, election.

A member of the ad hoc committee, Baharuddin Aritonang,
confirmed that all the factions had agreed on a formula that
would avoid a deadlock on the second round issue.

According to Baharuddin, the presidential election would be
held between three and six months after the election of members
of legislative bodies at both the national and regional levels.

He said that the committee would outline a formula under which
only political parties or a coalition that collected 35 percent
of the national vote would be allowed to nominate presidential
and vice-presidential candidates.

"So, a second round in a presidential election won't be
needed," Aritonang said, adding that the clause could be inserted
in the political laws.

He added that the issue of the Assembly's structure could be
resolved through a vote.