MPR begins discussing its special session agenda

JAKARTA (JP): The People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) is gearing up for its four-day special session beginning on Nov. 10, with its five factions pushing for their own agendas to be included in the proceedings.

The dominant Golkar faction is insisting the session should only discuss preparations for the general election next year, but other members of the assembly want the session to be used to introduce a limit to the length of the president's term in office and to separate the House of Representatives (DPR) from the MPR.

Others want the special session to be used to hear a statement of accountability from former president Soeharto, who resigned on May 21 as the nation buckled under social, economic and political upheaval.

In a news conference held here on Monday, the 20-member team assisting the MPR Working Committee (BP-MPR) prepare the session agenda, said they were making an inventory of what the different factions wanted included in the session's proceedings.

"Which items need to be included and which don't need to be taken up are now being considered," Poedjono Pranyoto, who chairs the BP-MPR, said.

Also present at the news conference were five members of the team of assistants: Tosari Widjaya of the United Development (PPP), Abdul Latief of Golkar, H. Ismunandar of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI), Achmad Rustandi of the Armed Forces (ABRI) and Lilik Hendradjaya of the Regional Representatives.

Poedjono said the team met on Aug. 18 and that Monday's meeting was the second it had convened. The team will meet again this Thursday, he added.

The team will attempt to summarize "aspirations developing within society" and put these forward for the BP-MPR to deliberate when it meets between Sept. 10 and Sept. 29, Poedjono said.

Rustandi, who chaired Monday's meeting, said the five factions have agreed to forward proposals for a draft BP-MPR decree, a draft MPR decree and a revision of two MPR decrees to the working committee for further deliberation.

He said the draft BP-MPR decree covered the schedule and agenda of the committee's forthcoming meeting and the draft MPR decree covered the agenda for the forthcoming special session.

The two draft MPR decrees cover a revision of MPR Decree No. 3/1998 on elections and the update of MPR Decree No. 2/1998 on the State Policy Guidelines, he said.

"There are also other items that have been proposed for the agenda. Some issues are supported by three factions, others by two factions and so forth ... but all factions have basically agreed to accommodate aspirations for reform, rather than just limit the session to discussion of the election alone," Rustandi said.

"So we urge people to channel their aspirations to the BP or factions in the MPR," he said.

He revealed that the PPP and Regional Representatives factions have proposed 20 issues for inclusion in the session's agenda, the ABRI faction has proposed six and the PDI faction two.

Rustandi said the Golkar faction had decided to press for an inclusion of only matters directly related to the general election planned for next May or June.

Abdul Latief, who leads the Golkar faction in the MPR, said his organization would concentrate only on revising and drafting MPR decrees pertaining to elections on the grounds that it wanted voting next year to be "honest and fair".

"Given the limited time available, we must ensure that regulations covering elections are perfect," said Latief, who was minister of manpower under Soeharto.

The PPP faction is pushing for the MPR to introduce a decree that will compel President B.J. Habibie to launch an investigation into the alleged corruption and abuse of power by Soeharto, his children and his cronies.

"It's a political decision which needs to be made," Tosari said.

Lilik said his Regional Representatives faction had proposed that the MPR summon Soeharto to account for his rule between March 11, 1998, when he assumed the presidency for a seventh consecutive term, and May 21 when he resigned.

In a separate development on Monday, the deputy chairman of the Golkar Central Board, Agung Laksono, said in the East Nusa Tenggara capital of Kupang that Soeharto did not need to give an account of his leadership in the upcoming session of the MPR.

"He was president for only two months, so what does he have to account for, whereas the State Policy Guidelines (which Soeharto was supposed to follow) will not be completed until 2003," Agung, who is also the sports and youth affairs minister, was quoted by Antara as saying. (aan)