MPR finishes Constitutional Commission selection
Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) on Monday picked 31 people to fill the posts in the Constitutional Commission (KK) following a week-long hearing as part of its selection method.
Chairman of the ad hoc committee in charge of the selection (PAH I) Jacob Tobing refused to disclose the names, but sources said that most of them were scholars.
"We will first report this selection result to the Assembly's Working Body tomorrow (Tuesday)," Jacob of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) told the press after a closed-door meeting.
Sources said that among the 31 selected were constitutional experts Sri Soemantri and Dahlan Thaib, economist Sri Adiningsih, law experts Fadjrul Falaakh, Maria Farida, Tjipta Lesmana and Ernawati Munir, former envoys Hasyim Djalal and Usman Hasan, and former legislators Ishak Latuconsina and Farida Syamsi Chadaria.
Baharuddin Aritonang of Golkar said the commission would start working soon after the endorsement, scheduled for Tuesday.
Based on an Assembly decree, the Constitutional Commission will work for seven months.
The Constitutional Commission is tasked to assess the four phases of amendments to the 1945 Constitution which many have said were "not well-structured".
On the clarification hearing with the legislators last week, Sri Soemantri criticized the legislators for making short-sighted political compromises to reach a consensus during the amendment process.
He said the consensus of political parties had made the amendments unclear and inconsistent. "We must avoid compromise to make a good Constitution," Soemantri said.
Citing some articles as examples, Soemantri said that inconsistencies in the constitution emerged due to gradual amendments.
He said the Constitution gave much too power to the House of Representatives (DPR) in some respects.
Baharuddin welcome the intention of some experts to upgrade the amendments.
"Members of the Constitutional Commission have to take an academic approach during the assessment. But the MPR will have the final authority to approve the recommendation or not," he said.
The Assembly agreed to set up its own semi-independent version of the Constitutional Commission last year apparently to appease public demand for an independent commission.
The public and a coalition of nongovernmental organizations had demanded the establishment of a fully independent commission to draft a new Constitution.
The demand provoked controversy during the Annual Session of the Assembly last year and the Assembly responded by issuing a decree for the setting up of its own version of the Constitutional Commission.
Constitutional Commission members ----------------------------------------------------------- 1. Sri Soemantri 16. John Pieris 2. Hasjim Djalal 17. NE Fatima 3. Dahlan Thaib 18. Ishak Latuconsina 4. Sri Adiningsih 19. Tjipta Lesmana 5. Albert Hasibuan 20. Krisna Harahap 6. M. Fadjrul Falaakh 21. Surachman 7. Ernawati Munir 22. M. Isnaeni Ramdhan 8. Cecep Syarifuddin 23. Achmad Sodiki 9. Abdul Rasyid Thalib 24. Bahder Johan Nasution 10. Usman Hasan 25. Andi Muhammad Asrun 11. Maria Farida Indrati 26. Hasudungan Tampubolon 12. Bun Yamin Ramto 27. Qomari Anwar 13. JH Sinaulan 28. Laode Ida 14. Jawahir Thontowi 29. Hadimulyo 15. Harry Azhar Azis 30. Bambang Sutrisno
31. Farida Syamsi Chadaria --------------------------------------------------------------