MPR committee wraps up constitutional amendment

MPR committee wraps up constitutional amendment

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The People's Consultative Assembly's ad hoc committee in
charge of constitutional amendment (PAH I) endorsed on Thursday
the final draft of changes to the 1945 Constitution and said it
was ready to submit it to the MPR Annual Session for deliberation
and endorsement.

The endorsement was taken in a plenary meeting of PAH I, led
by the committee chairman Jacob Tobing and attended by all the
factions in the Assembly.

The factions agreed to change 27 articles in the fourth
constitutional amendment, though there was disagreement on some
articles, including the mechanism of presidential election.

He said those articles would be discussed in next month's
Annual Session.

Jacob noted most factions had agreed the public would vote in
the second round of a presidential election, which takes place if
no candidates for president/vice president win a simple majority
vote. Only the top two pairs are eligible for the runoff.

"Formally, we have yet to achieve absolute agreement on that
article, but I'm convinced it is just a matter of the factions'
internal decision-making process," Jacob told The Jakarta Post.

Jacob, a senior legislator from the Indonesian Democratic
Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), said that 90 percent of the
factions supported the idea of a presidential election except
representatives of the Indonesian Military and National Police.

"They have scheduled an internal meeting with their leaders. I
believe they will agree with the idea. We will also be lobbying
during the Annual Session," he said.

The committee also retained two alternatives on another
contentious article on the composition of the MPR.

According to committee deputy chairman Slamet Effendy Yusuf of
the Golkar Party, other non-conclusive articles include those on
the monetary authority (the central bank), religion and the
national education system.

Meanwhile, other articles have mostly been agreed upon, Slamet
said.

He added that most of the factions had also agreed to abolish
the Supreme Advisory Board (DPA).

"We have agreed on a new advisory board," he said, but
declined to elaborate.

The constitutional amendment draft from PAH I will be brought
up at the MPR's Annual Session in early August for further
deliberation and approval.

The Annual Session will also debate and approve four drafts of
MPR decrees prepared by the Assembly's PAH II on preparing
decrees and regulations.

PAH II chairman Rambe Kamarulzaman of the Golkar Party said in
PAH II's plenary session the draft decrees would include one on
policy recommendations for national economic recovery.

He added that the Annual Session would last 10 days, not 12
days as initially scheduled.

Reports have said the ten-day event will allegedly cost Rp
19.8 billion.

President Megawati Soekarnoputri and Vice President Hamzah Haz
will attend the entire session.

Both are also scheduled to present their progress report
before legislators.

Two most contentious articles of the fourth constitutional
amendment package

Article 2

Alternative 1: MPR consists of members of the House of
Representatives (DPR) and the Regional Representatives Council
(DPD) elected through general elections, plus interest groups
elected by the DPR as regulated further by law.

Alternative 2: MPR consists of members of the DPR and the DPD
elected through general elections as regulated further by law.

Article 6A:

Alternative 1: In the event that no presidential and vice
presidential pair is elected, the MPR elects the president and
vice president from the two pairs of presidential and vice
presidential candidates gaining the most votes.

Alternative 2: In the case of no presidential and vice
presidential pair being elected, the people will directly elect
the president and vice president from the two pairs of the
presidential and vice presidential candidates gaining the most
votes in this election is officially declared president and vice
president.