MPR may resort to voting on Habibie's speech

MPR may resort to voting on Habibie's speech

JAKARTA (JP): Rejection by four factions in the People's
Consultative Assembly (MPR) of President B.J. Habibie's
accountability speech will likely result in voting on whether the
MPR members will accept or reject the speech on Tuesday, several
lawmakers hinted on Sunday.

Marzuki Darusman, chairman of the Golkar Party faction, said
on Sunday that the MPR was close to a conclusion that it would
hold a secret ballot for the president's accountability speech
following an MPR commission's decision not to deliberate the
speech.

"The MPR Commission D, which is assigned to deliberate the
president's accountability report, has just decided not to do it
because four factions have rejected the speech while the United
Ummat Sovereignty Faction (FDU) has accepted it," he said in a
media conference on Sunday.

The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan),
Love the Nation Democratic Party, National Awakening Party and
Indonesian Nationhood factions rejected the speech because it
failed to account for many issues which remained unresolved
during his 512-day tenure.

Marzuki said that his faction was ready for the secret ballot
and expressed his optimism that his faction would win it.

"Our faction is the largest with 188 real supporters in the
MPR. The United Development Party (PPP) faction, the FDU and
other factions' members are expected to support the speech," he
said.

He added that the ratio between factions that are for and
against the accountability speech is 50:50.

The PPP faction was divided over its evaluation of the speech,
with PPP chairman Hamzah Haz campaigning within the faction for
an acceptance of the speech.

"We have worked hard in the faction to deliberate the speech
and we will likely accept it," he said on Sunday.

PPP deputy chairman, A.M. Saefuddin, concurred and said he was
optimistic that the speech would be accepted through the secret
ballot.

"We will fight all out for an acceptance of the speech," he
said. Saefuddin was also former minister of horticulture in
Habibie's reform Cabinet.

But Zarkasih Nur, an MPR member from PPP, reiterated his
personal rejection of the speech, saying that his faction was
split, with a majority throwing its weight behind the speech.

"I am representing not only my party but the people, most of
whom I believe reject the accountability speech," he said, noting
that a majority of MPR members had given the report a thumbs down
and were expected to turn it down in the ballot.

The Reform faction was expected to reject the speech because
the National Mandate Party dominating the faction asked it
recently to covey its rejection to the plenary MPR session.

Hatta Radjasa, chairman of the Reform faction, said: "It is
almost certain that the Assembly will resort to voting because it
is the individual right of all MPR members to accept or reject
the accountability speech."

PDI Perjuangan's deputy chairman, Dimiaty Hartono, told The
Jakarta Post on Saturday that the Assembly would have no other
alternative than to vote if it could not reach a consensus to
turn down the president's speech.

"Four factions have openly announced their rejection of the
speech while none but FDU, a minority faction at the Assembly,
accepts it," he said.

He warned that most people would become angry if the Assembly
decided to accept the accountability speech and the Golkar
faction went ahead with its decision to nominate Habibie as its
candidate in the presidential election. (05/rms)