House to withdraw presidency bill

JAKARTA: The House of Representatives will withdraw a bill on the presidency that it had sent to President Megawati Soekarnoputri, saying the bill requires further revision.

In a letter sent to House leaders, House Legislation Body chairman Zain Badjeber said his team would revise the bill in accordance with the newly amended Constitution.

The letter was read by Subianto Sudardjo, the head of plenary meeting affairs at the House Secretariat, during a plenary meeting here on Thursday.

Zain said the bill was drafted before the People's Consultative Assembly finished amending the Constitution.

He said the bill still regulated the presence of the Supreme Advisory Council, but the Assembly had replaced the council with a team of presidential advisers through the constitutional amendments.

The plenary meeting, headed by House Deputy Speaker Soetardjo Soerjogoeritno, also heard that the House had received the names of 27 candidates from the President to fill the nine seats on the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission. -- JP