Golkar opposes new commission to amend constitution

JAKARTA (JP): Golkar, the second largest party in the House of Representatives (DPR), is against the proposed establishment of an independent commission in charge of amending the 1945 Constitution, its chairman Akbar Tandjung said here on Thursday.

Akbar said there wasn't any urgent need for the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) to set up such a special commission.

"Golkar, through its faction in the Assembly, will not support the proposal because there is no obligation on the part of the MPR to set up the commission," Akbar told The Jakarta Post.

"We are sure the Assembly's Working Committee will be able to complete the amendments in 2002 as required by MPR Decree No.9/2000," he said.

Under the decree the Assembly's Working Committee is assigned to prepare the amendments and its work is expected to be completed in 2002.

Akbar, who is also the DPR speaker, denied accusations that political parties, including Golkar, would be trapped by their own political interests if they were involved in preparing the amendments.

"The Assembly and all the factions are open to any input from the public. They have also cooperated with 30 experts from various disciplines in deliberating the Constitution's substance," he said.

The issue regarding the commission's establishment arose after President Megawati Soekarnoputri stressed in her state-of-the- nation speech on Aug. 16 the importance of a special commission in charge of amending the Constitution.

However, not a single faction of the Assembly has thus far given its support to the President's idea or submitted its proposal to the working committee, to be brought to the Assembly's annual session scheduled for Nov. 1.

Separately, Sophan Sophiaan, a chairman of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), said his party fully supported the President's concept, even though its faction had yet to officially lodge a proposal to the working committee.

"The party's executive board has yet to instruct its faction to send an official proposal to the Assembly to be discussed in the annual session," he said.

Sabam Sirait, a PDI Perjuangan party member, said it was just a matter of time before his faction made an official proposal because it was still awaiting other factions' responses to the President's proposal.

"As there is still plenty of time before the annual session, our faction is awaiting other factions' responses to the President's proposal," he said.

Megawati reiterated on Thursday the urgency for the establishment of the constitutional commission and public participation to support current efforts to amend the 1945 Constitution.

"The area, range and vision of the amendments should be further detailed by the commission. Of course the authority to decide the amendments still lies in the hands of the Assembly," Megawati said.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of a seminar on development strategy at the State Palace, the President further said that public participation was also important.

"The Assembly should inform the public about the amendments ... and I have suggested this before," Megawati remarked.

Meanwhile, MPR Speaker Amien Rais said he was not sure whether the Assembly would later decide to establish a constitutional commission because so far, no factions had brought the idea to the working committee.

"MPR is open to good proposals from anyone, including the President ... The President's idea constitutes a sympathetic proposal. So, it would be logical and rational if PDI Perjuangan brought the proposal to the Assembly," he said.

He said the MPR would set up the commission if the idea of its establishment gained support from both the PDI Perjuangan and Golkar factions, which dominate both the Assembly and the Working Committee.

Asked as to who should serve on the commission, Amien said the matter would depend on the Assembly.

"I cannot decide the matter but, in my opinion, the commission's members should be experts from various backgrounds, including universities, political parties, religious organizations and the informal sector, who have a broad vision about the Indonesian nation," he said. (dja/rms)