Draft decree to prevent disintegration proposed

JAKARTA (JP): Golkar chairman Akbar Tandjung said his party will propose to the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) a draft decree on national unity to prevent the nation's disintegration.

"The issuance of such an MPR decree is quite urgent in line with the separation of East Timor from Indonesia and threats of national disintegration," he said at a gathering on Sunday of MPR members who were former activists of the Indonesian Youth Committee.

He said his party was very sad and deeply concerned over East Timor's separation from Indonesia. He said the MPR will probably have no other option than to revoke the 1978 MPR Decree on East Timor's integration into Indonesia.

"With such an MPR decree, East Timor will be the only province to split from Indonesia," he said.

Also attending the gathering, held in a break of the MPR's plenary session, were the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle's secretary-general Alex Litaay, Abdul Gafur, A. Tomasoa, the United Development Party faction's Bachtiar Chamsyah and the Love the Nation Democratic Party faction's Seto Haryanto.

Akbar, also House Speaker, said that the draft decree would stipulate the country's demarcation lines from Sabang in the west to Merauke in the east, regional autonomy and the country's pluralism in ethnicity, religion, culture and languages.

"The issuance of the decree is expected to maintain national unity and prevent regions from separating from Indonesia," he said.

He added that the draft decree would be handed over for deliberation in the near future to the MPR's Commission B.

Alex Litaay hailed the draft decree and said that his party's faction at the MPR would support it.

"I personally appreciate the Golkar faction's initiative to propose such a draft decree, that is expected to maintain national unity. I hope my party's faction at the MPR will throw its weight behind the draft decree," he said. (rms)