Factions vow to meet people's aspirations

JAKARTA (JP): Two major factions of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) promised on Sunday after separate internal meetings to meet as many of the people's aspirations for overall reform as possible in the wake of mounting opposition to the MPR Special Session which starts on Tuesday.

However, about 300 students representing more than 40 universities in Jakarta and West Java, who do not harbor any trust in the MPR session, have urged Megawati Soekarnoputri, leader of one faction of the splintered Indonesian Democratic Party, to meet with Abdurrahman Wahid, chairman of the Nahdlatul Ulama Moslem organization, and Amien Rais, chairman of the National Mandate Party (PAN), to neutralize what they consider threats to national disintegration.

The students camped out in front of Megawati's house from Sunday morning to see to it that the three leaders met there to iron out measures to save the nation from total chaos.

The meeting, however, had not taken place by late on Sunday night. An aide to Megawati hinted that such a meeting might be held on Monday morning but the students insisted on continuing their vigil until the three political leaders met.

Informed sources said Megawati and Armed Forces Commander Gen. Wiranto met on Friday to discuss and assess what many apprehensively see as impending national chaos.

Many political analysts, concerned about the fragile political situation, have suggested that Gen. Wiranto be more proactive in leading the national reform movement to defuse the potentially explosive situation.

The Golkar faction, which holds 585 of the 1,000 MPR seats, held what its chairman Marzuki Darusman called a brainstorming session to appraise people's aspirations for additions to the session's agenda.

"We are discussing such issues as those on the dual-function of the Armed Forces (ABRI), corruption, collusion and nepotism, human rights violations and legal proceedings against former president Soeharto," Marzuki told reporters during a break in the meeting.

Stating his faction's stance, he said Golkar wanted ABRI's sociopolitical role to be limited and that the MPR decree on corruption, collusion and nepotism amended to accommodate the demands for the trial of Soeharto and the investigation of his wealth and that of his family members and cronies.

Marzuki declined to elaborate on what he meant by limiting ABRI's sociopolitical role but asserted that the restrictions would be in quality and quantity.

"If this is seen as a change in our political stance, let it be because we want to accommodate the people's aspirations," he added.

Marzuki said ABRI's sociopolitical role should be seen as part of the whole perspective and conceptualization of an ideal, final dual function of the military.

He also referred to other agenda items prepared for the upcoming session.

"We are fully aware that our credibility is now down in the gutter. This has forced us to go all out to embrace the people's aspirations," Marzuki was quoted by Antara as saying.

The United Development Party (PPP) faction announced after an internal meeting that its 136 MPR members were now more determined to fight for proreform decrees such as those regarding the expulsion of ABRI from the House of Representatives (DPR), the trial of Soeharto and the investigation of his wealth and that of his family members and cronies.

"If necessary, we will force votes on proreform decrees," PPP spokesman Endin Soefihara told reporters after the meeting.

Soefihara added that his faction would resubmit to the session a draft decree regarding the investigation of the wealth of Soeharto, his family members and cronies widely suspected of being amassed through corruption, nepotism and collusion.

"During the preparatory meeting for the MPR Special Session we failed to get this draft decree approved for the session's agenda. But we will again propose it at the upcoming session," he added.

In Surabaya, Amien Rais stated on Sunday that his party would reject and would not be legally bound by the MPR decrees if they did not embody the people's aspirations.

"I hereby warn the MPR of the threat of national disintegration if the MPR Special Session does not meet fully the people's aspirations for overall reform," he told a rally of around 5,000 supporters.

"The 1,000 MPR members should realize that they are still the product of Soeharto but people must for now live with them and give them the benefit of the doubt. But they should optimize this opportunity to prove their worth," Amien warned.

PAN Secretary-General Faisal Basri reaffirmed his party's opposition to the appointment of military representatives to the House.

"ABRI always calls on us to act constitutionally. But it is the military themselves who are unconstitutional by demanding appointed seats in the House," Faisal said in Yogyakarta.

Among the most controversial draft decrees on the MPR agenda is the one approving the appointment of ABRI representatives in the DPR, although a smaller number than the current 75.

However, what has made most students and the around 70 newly created political parties (not yet represented in the MPR) strongly opposed to the session is what is conspicuously absent from the MPR agenda.

Included among the most important aspirations of the people that have yet to be met are demands for the prosecution of Soeharto for political and economic crimes, a thorough investigation into his wealth and that of his family members and cronies, an end to ABRI's sociopolitical role, a firm date for a general election and a guarantee of open, free and honest polls and the abolition of the law compelling political parties to have the state ideology Pancasila in their constitutions.

Faisal said one measure of the success of the MPR session would be whether it could issue a decree on an open, fair, honest election organized by an independent committee next May.

"The government will incite people's anger if the MPR Special Session does not adopt proreform decrees," warned Matori Abdul Djalil, chairman of the National Awakening Party (PKB) in Cilegon, West Java, on Sunday.

The MPR, Matori said, should met the people's demand for overall reform through an open, fair, honest election in May and the purging of all Soeharto proteges from the Cabinet. (23/44/rms/nur/vin)