MPR, commission meet on constitution

MPR, commission meet on constitution

JAKARTA: Members of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR)
ad hoc committee for constitutional amendments met with members
of the Constitutional Commission for the first time on Monday to
build a common understanding on the jobs now being conducted by
the commission.

The lawmakers asked the commission members to work as
professionals and avoid vested interests in synchronizing
articles in the Constitution, which has been amended four times
by the Assembly since 1999.

The commission was established early this month to look into
possible conflicts between articles in the Constitution. The
commission will report the results of its job during the
Assembly's Annual Session next year.

During the meeting, some members of the Constitutional
Commission demanded the lawmakers provide background to the
amendments and consensus reached among Assembly factions,
including their agreement not to change the preamble of the
Constitution and the country's administration system as a unitary
state.

United Development Party (PPP) legislator Zein Badjeber said
the consensus had not been reached for the benefit of the
factions. -- JP