MPR factions still undecided over regional representatives
MPR factions still undecided over regional representatives
JAKARTA (JP): Party factions in the People's Consultative
Assembly (MPR) remain undecided about a plan by 164 regional
representatives to form their own faction at the upcoming MPR
Annual Session.
Golkar faction, according to its deputy chairman Slamet
Effendy Yusuf, said it would agree to the proposal with
reservations.
"Regional representatives should be bipartisan because they
were nominated by political parties through the provincial
legislative councils. On one hand they should form a separate
faction to channel regional interests and on the other hand they
should be allowed to fight for the interests of their respective
political parties," Slamet said here on Monday.
He said Golkar did not fear losing political support from 62
regional representatives in its faction if the terms were
accepted in the Annual Session.
Postdam Hutasoit of the Indonesian Democratic Party of
Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) faction, said his faction had no
objections to the idea provided the Assembly's internal rulings
were revised to accept the presence of a regional representative
faction.
But he reminded that the MPR decided in its latest General
Session last October to dissolve the regional representative
faction at the proposal of its own members. Among the proponents
were 31 regional representatives who joined PDI Perjuangan
faction.
"It is already too late for the regional representatives to
promote their proposal to reestablish the faction because before
being proposed to the Assembly's Annual Session it should have
won support from the Assembly Working Committee," Postdam said.
Aisyah Amini of the United Development Party (PPP) faction
concurred and said the present regional representatives were
actually representing political parties.
"PPP principally supports the presence of a separate regional
representative faction at the Assembly but they should be
nonpartisan figures elected in a general election," she said.
She said the 1999 law on the composition of MPR, House of
Representatives and Provincial and Regency Legislatures needs
revising to make certain that regional representatives would be
selected from social leaders and figures who were not involved in
politics or were members of political parties.
Oesman Sapta, chairman of the Regional Representatives Forum
(FUD), said that the 164 regional representatives have agreed to
fight this year for the reestablishment of their faction at the
Assembly in line with the government's plan to implement regional
autonomy next year.
"We will fight it out at the Annual Session because we can do
nothing until 2004 without our own faction. We hope all factions
at the Assembly understand the urgency of a regional
representative faction in line with the implementation of the
regional autonomy law next year," he said.
He warned that troubles in several regions, including Aceh,
Irian Jaya, Maluku and Riau, are threatening the country's unity.
"The absence of comprehensive solutions to the problems have a
part to do with political parties' primary interests in the
legislative bodies," he said, adding that the current
representative system would remain unhealthy if regional
aspirations were not accommodated by the legislative bodies.
Harun Alrasid, a constitutional law expert from the University
of Indonesia, hailed the regional representatives' intentions to
reestablish their own faction at the Assembly, saying the faction
was badly needed to channel regional aspirations.
Indonesia should learn from the representative system in the
United States, Harun said. Although most regional representatives
belong to political parties, some regions have elected
independents with no political affiliation he said.
He said the representative system in Indonesia should also
have regional representatives and their own faction because
regions have unique problems, programs and interests that could
be opposed by political parties. (rms)