MPR finishes drafting decrees

MPR finishes drafting decrees

JAKARTA (JP): The People's Consultative Assembly (MPR)'s
working committee have completed drafting decrees relating to
President Abdurrahman Wahid accountability, accommodating all
scenarios including a possible conditional acceptance.

Committee members however were quick to dispel talk that the
drafting of a decree on an "acceptance with terms", aside from
the conventional "acceptance" or "rejection", was a further sign
that a political compromise to prolong Abdurrahman's embattled
presidency was in the works.

"What we're preparing are technical and administrative
matters, so that in case we need those decrees we're prepared,"
Committee chairman Jacob Tobing told The Jakarta Post on
Wednesday.

"Beside we should not adopt a negative judgment over the
accountability."

Apart from those three decrees, the working committee also
worked on decrees on the appointment of the vice president as the
new president, and for the election of a new vice president.

The Assembly is set to convene a special session on Aug. 1 to
ask for the President's accountability.

If the accountability is rejected Abdurrahman would lose his
mandate as president.

While Abdurrahman's fate looks grim, there have been
increasing signs of a political compromise which could save his
administration.

Many were quick to point to the drafting of a conditional
acceptance decree as evidence of this, particularly since
internal rules only require two alternatives in responding to the
accountability: to either accept or reject it.

But just what exactly the "terms" would be under a conditional
acceptance remains unclear as the draft itself leaves this
portion blank.

This draft decree was initially proposed by members of the
National Awakening Party (PKB), the strongest supporters of
Abdurrahman.

Jacob, an Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle legislator,
maintained that "this is not related to any compromise",
contending that it was merely "a modification of the acceptance."

Another member of the working committee, Hamdan Zoelva of the
Crescent Star Party (PBB), also claimed that this additional
option was merely to accommodate all possibilities.

Lobby

Separately Minister of Defense Mahfud MD said on Wednesday
that the team of ministers assigned by the President to lobby
major political parties has completed its work and handed over
its reports to the President.

Mahfud, however, declined to go into details saying only that
"a peaceful solution is still possible."

"The Assembly's special session is an unavoidable event. It
will be more appropriate for us to focus on the outcome of the
special session, in which all political elements in the country
can meet to compromise," Mahfud said.

Mahfud further hinted that compromise is essentially a
distribution of power between the President, the Vice President,
and other political parties.

Mahfud along with Coordinating Minister for Political, Social
and Security Affairs Agum Gumelar, Minister of Finance Rizal
Ramli and Attorney General Baharuddin Lopa have been instructed
to lobby strong political factions such as PDI Perjuangan, Golkar
and the Axis Force to seek a compromise.

Meanwhile during a visit to Pasuruan, East Java, Abdurrahman
reiterated his defiance saying that he was not required to
present his accountability to the Assembly till the end of his
term in 2004.

He maintained that the move to seek his accountability was
unconstitutional and that he would fight it.

Speaking at a religious school, Abdurrahman told his
supporters to remain calm and not be influenced by the friction
among political leaders.

East Java is known as the bastion of support for Nahdlatul
Ulama and the President. Abdurrahman led the Muslim organization
for 15 years before becoming President. (02/nur/dja)