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.