MPR leaders agree to cut short Annual Session

Kurniawan Hari and Abu Hanifah, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Leaders of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) have agreed to end their Annual Session on Nov. 9, a day ahead of schedule.

"Instead of closing on Nov. 10, it will now be (closed) on Nov. 9 and thank God, all factions have agreed," MPR Speaker Amien Rais said on Sunday, adding that the final decision had to be approved by a plenary session.

Major political factions of the Assembly, including PDI Perjuangan, have called for the Annual Session to be cut short for efficiency and be held every two-and-a-half years or in the middle of the presidential term.

The November Annual Session is expected to approve the direct presidential election, set up a national commission to amend the Constitution and approve a new faction, that of the 135 seat regional representatives (FUD), whose members have so far been included in the faction of their respective parties.

The Golkar Party has so far supported the formation of FUD but PDI Perjuangan has rebuffed the plan.

During the Plenary Session Amien tasked four of the 10 factions to discuss the drafts proposed during the Annual Session, delivered earlier by the Assembly's Ad Hoc Committee II.

Commissions A, B, C and D would comprise members of all ten factions in the assembly on a proportional basis, meaning that PDIP will have the most members in each commission.

Commission A, headed by Jacob Tobing of the PDI-P faction, has 161 lawmakers which will be tasked to discuss the 1945 Constitution amendment and the possibility of forming a constitutional commission.

Commission B, led by Rambe Kamarulzaman of the Golkar faction, has 184 members and is tasked to discuss four issues, including the drafting of the statehood ethics, Indonesia's future vision, KKN (Corruption, Collusion and Nepotism) eradication and Agrarian and economic reform.

Commission C of 162 people, headed by Faisal Baasir of PPP, is tasked to deliberate and to deliver MPR's recommendations for state institutions.

Commission D, led by Amin Said Husni of PKB, has 160 members and is tasked to discuss the amendment of MPR's decree No. III/1999 about MPR and the establishment of the Regional Representatives Faction in MPR.