Few hot issues to watch at MPR session
Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The proposal for the reestablishment of the Regional faction (FUD) at the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) will likely be decided when 700 lawmakers start their 10-day Annual Session here on Thursday.
The first agenda of the session will be a revision to the internal rules of the Assembly, which is expected to include a revival of the regional representatives faction.
Asnawi Latief from the Daulat Umat faction (FDU) said that an informal meeting of faction leaders had agreed to place the revival of the faction on top of the agenda.
"Regional representatives have threatened to disrupt the session should the Assembly fail to set up the regional faction," Asnawi told reporters here on Wednesday.
Asnawi added that a series of interruptions, which might be carried out by the 135 regional representatives, could disrupt the session.
Meanwhile, a regional representative from Central Kalimantan, Nusa J. Toendan, said his camp already had a strategy to pave the way for the revival of the faction.
"We will make an all-out fight for the reestablishment of the regional faction," he said.
According to him, the revival of the regional faction had been settled by an Assembly decree during its Annual Session in 2000.
Nusa confirmed that his team had met Minister of Justice and Human Rights Yusril Ihza Mahendra for advice on the reestablishment of the regional faction. "The minister has shown his support," he said.
The 700-strong Assembly comprises 500 members of the House of Representatives, 65 members of various interest groups and 135 regional representatives.
FUD was disbanded during the 1999 General Session of the Assembly on the grounds that the faction had been manipulated by Golkar for its own political interest in the past.
However, regional representatives proposed the revival of the faction at the Annual Session in 2000.
A series of deliberations by an ad hoc committee had created a distinction among the Assembly's factions. The Crescent Star faction (FBB) and National Unity faction (FKKI) fully endorsed the revival of the regional faction.
Golkar, the National Awakening Party (PKB), the Police/Military and the interest groups backed the proposal on certain conditions.
The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), the United Development Party (PPP) and the Reform faction have rejected the revival of the regional faction.
Apart from deliberating the revival of the regional faction, the 10-day-long session is also slated to deliberate constitutional amendment and to enact four decrees. The four decrees are on the ethics for nationhood, statehood and social interaction, on agrarian reform, on Indonesia's vision and on the eradication of corruption, collusion and nepotism.
The session will also deliberate the proposal for the enactment of a decree on economic recovery. The decree focuses on the reconstruction of the economy, foreign debt, international relations, budget, the empowerment of small enterprises and regional development.