Military/Police faction supports amendment

Military/Police faction supports amendment

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Defusing public criticism on the amendment to the Constitution,
the military and police faction in the People's Consultative
Assembly (MPR) said on Wednesday that it fully supported the
ongoing amendment.

Insp. Gen. (Pol) I Ketut Astawa, the faction's representative
in the MPR ad hoc commission dealing with the amendment to the
Constitution, told a media conference at TNI headquarters in
Cilangkap, East Jakarta, on Wednesday that the amendment was in
line with the spirit of reform.

"The MPR, through its Decree 11/2001, has mandated the ad hoc
committee to carry out the amendment, and this aspiration of the
people must be supported," Astawa said.

The military and police faction, which has 38 representatives
in the MPR, is believed to be one of few that tried to halt the
current process of amending the Constitution because it would
scrap its presence in the Assembly.

The amended article on the composition of the Assembly
stipulates that all MPR members should be chosen via a
democratic election, effectively excluding military and police
personnel from the Assembly, as they are not allowed to
participate in general elections.

Astawa said that the current debate over the amendment was
normal, and that the debate would not destabilize the nation.

"The arguments on either side will serve as input for the ad
hoc commission deliberating the amendment. However, the decision
rests with the annual MPR session, which will be held in August,"
said Astawa.

The arguments over the amendment came to light after a Forum
for Constitutional Studies (FKIK) demanded that the MPR halt the
current amendment, arguing that the process had deviated from its
original purpose.

However, he emphasized that the preamble to the 1945
Constitution and the unitary state should be kept intact.

"The preamble sets out the fundamental norms and values of our
people, therefore it should not be a target of amendment," he
said.

Meanwhile, Vice President Hamzah Haz voiced implied support on
Wednesday for the current amendment to the Constitution, saying
that only Article 33 of the 1945 Constitution should be excluded
from the amendment process.

Article 33, which promotes social welfare and fairness for the
public, is the character and foundation for the country's economy
and it is still relevant to today's circumstances, Hamzah said.

"Those who wish to change Article 33 lack an understanding
about the national economy," Hamzah said when opening a working
meeting of the Indonesian Cooperatives Board (Dekopin).

Article 33 highlights cooperatives as the prominent economic
organization, and states that important means of production in
the country should be under state control.

According to Hamzah, Article 33 was crucial to ensure that
there would be no gap between the rich and poor in the country,
which could easily lead to social conflict.

"If there is a striking social and welfare gap in society
today, that is not the Article's fault, but is caused by the
lousy implementation of the Article," said Hamzah.

"To narrow the gap between the rich and poor, the
implementation of Article 33 should be improved, rather than the
article amended," he added.

Separately, House Speaker Akbar Tandjung shared the military
and police faction's view, saying that the amendment process had
to be left to MPR members because the decree issued last year had
mandated the Assembly to continue with the amendment process.

Deputy chairman of the Reform faction Afni Achmad said the
motion to block the amendment process was against the aims of the
reform movement.

"It is like a person who tries to prevent the sun from rising:
It's impossible," Afni told The Jakarta Post.