Disagreement causes delay, forces MPR to extend session

Disagreement causes delay, forces MPR to extend session

Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

During a plenary meeting of the People's Consultative Assembly
(MPR) on Thursday, it was decided to extend the Assembly's Annual
Session by about nine hours after legislators failed to reach a
consensus on several items in the fourth batch of constitutional
amendments.

The Annual Session had been scheduled to end on Saturday at
noon, but will be extended to 9 p.m.

Legislators were scheduled to hear on Thursday final reports
from three ad hoc commissions working on the constitutional
amendments, but the reports were delayed to give Commission A
time to finish deliberating several crucial issues. Faction and
commission leaders took the opportunity to hold a series of
lobbying sessions.

Discussion of two crucial items in the fourth batch of
constitutional amendments, Article 2 on the composition of the
MPR and Article 29 on religion, have failed to yield a consensus
among the factions. Demands for the establishment of a
constitutional commission have also taken up a significant amount
of time.

Initially there were hopes the commission could be set up
during the Annual Session, with most factions apparently in
support of its establishment.

However, it soon became clear from the proposals for the
commission that none of the Assembly factions shared a similar
platform on the composition and role of the commission, a fact
that led to a deadlock.

Instead of focusing deliberations on the proposed
constitutional commission, the United Development Party (PPP),
the Reform and the Daulatul Ummah Party (PDU) factions further
delayed the amendment process by demanding the inclusion of
phrases to specify which article or articles of the Constitution
would be applied.

Hadar N. Gumay of the Center for Electoral Reform charged that
legislators were not serious about the constitutional commission.

"They use the issue to show the public that they are
accommodating the people's aspirations," Hadar said.

Three commissions are expected to give a final report on their
work during a plenary meeting on Friday.

All 12 factions are scheduled to deliver their comments on the
reports on Saturday morning, and are expected to approve the
reports later in the afternoon, from 2:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Assembly Speaker Amien Rais is expected to deliver the Annual
Session's closing speech at 9 p.m. on Saturday.