Government, Assembly ready for annual sessions

Government, Assembly ready for annual sessions

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja and Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

President Megawati Soekarnoputri is expected to highlight the
achievements of her government during the past 100 days in office
in her accountability speech before the People's Consultative
Assembly on Thursday.

The 40-page speech draft, a copy of which was seen by The
Jakarta Post on Wednesday, also presents the problems encountered
by the government following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the
U.S.

Megawati will also report on the security situation, human
rights issues, the government's stance on the Afghanistan crisis,
regional autonomy, the current economic condition as well as the
effects to be felt from the possible global recession.

For the economic issues, Megawati will provide a separate
explanation on statistical figures and other developments.

Megawati's speech was prepared by 11 ministers at the Hilton
International Hotel in South Jakarta on Wednesday, where the
President, Vice President Hamzah Haz and the ministers are
staying during the Assembly's Annual Session.

Among the ministers that joined the draft of the speech
included the three coordinating ministers, Minister of Foreign
Affairs Hassan Wirayuda, Minister of Home Affairs Hari Sabarno,
Indonesian Military chief Adm. Widodo A.S., Minister of Finance
Boediono, and State Minister of National Development
Planning/Bappenas chairman Kwik Kian Gie.

Every minister prepared a two-page report on their respective
fields and submitted it to the President, who, together with her
assistants, summarized the entire speech.

Hamzah did not play a significant role in the making of the
accountability speech as one of the presidential staff members
told the Post that the Vice President "did not have anything to
say".

The government's team, including the ministers, is occupying
33 rooms at the hotel for five days from Oct. 30.

The hotel's media relations officer, Albertus Ade Widya, said
that only government officials and no Assembly members were
staying at the hotel.

Spokesman for the Assembly secretary-general Eddy Siregar said
the President was scheduled to deliver the accountability speech
at 11.30 a.m. on Thursday.

Staff members from the secretary-general's office on Wednesday
were putting the final touches on decorations for the Annual
Session.

Some worked indoors, arranging the name tags for lawmakers and
adjusting the seats as well as the microphones on the podium.
Others worked outdoors, arranging flowers and the red carpet in
the Assembly building.

Sugeng Cahyono, one of the staff members assigned to check the
condition of the podium and the seats of the Assembly leaders,
said: "Everything is going well."

Security officers were also seen in the Assembly building,
installing the screening monitor of an X-ray scanner to check
visitors' belongings.

Staff members from television and radio stations were busy
erecting temporary offices in the lobby of the Assembly building.

As with Assembly sessions in the past, the moment is also used
by businesspeople to promote their products or win over new
consumers.

Seven booths have been set up for marketing purposes. They
include computer distributor Astragraphia, Telkomsel, Air Mancur
herbal products, Bank Mandiri, Jialing motorcycles and Hyundai.

A total of 252 print and electronic media have been registered
to cover the 10-day Annual Session.

It means that a total of over 1,000 reporters and media
support staff will crowd the Assembly building, including 553
reporters from the domestic print media, 608 crew members from
the electronic media and 70 foreign journalists.