MPR pushed to convene extraordinary session

JAKARTA (JP): Groups of government critics and proreform activists have increased pressure on the People's Consultative Assembly to convene an extraordinary session to elect a new president.

Members of the Gerakan Reformasi Nasional (National Reform Movement) and those of the Yayasan Kerukunan Persaudaran Kebangsaan (National Brotherhood Foundation) separately met with leaders of the dominant Golkar faction at the House of Representatives yesterday. In both meetings, the faction leaders received calls for them to fight corruption, collusion, nepotism and cronyism.

The activists also said the transfer of the national leadership from Soeharto, when he quit the presidency last Thursday, to B.J. Habibie was not done in a constitutional manner.

"It is the right of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) to elect a president, not other institutions," said Dimyati Hartono, one of the leaders of the Gerakan Reformasi Nasional.

"According to the 1945 Constitution, the only institution authorized to dismiss a president and vice president is the MPR," Dimyati was quoted by Antara as saying.

"That's why a general session of the MPR is the only way to achieve complete reform (in Indonesian politics)," he said.

The reformists also urged the People's Consultative Assembly to meet within the next 30 days, and revoke its decrees issued earlier this year on the appointment of Soeharto and B.J. Habibie as president and vice president respectively.

"Then, elect a new president and vice president who are clean from legal murkiness, and free from corruption, collusion, nepotism and cronyism," Dimyati said.

Among the proreform activists who went to the House yesterday were former minister of mines and energy Subroto, Ali Sadikin, Hasnan Habib and Sri Edi Swasono. The Golkar legislators who received them were Indra Bambang Utojo, Andi Mattalatta, Erie Soekardja, Bobby Suhardiman, Budi Haryanto and Rambe Kamaruzaman, according to Antara.

"The Gerakan Reformasi Nasional supports the motion for the establishment of a National Commission Against Corruption, Collusion, Nepotism and Cronyism, which are all major felonies," Subroto said.

Subroto, who is also former secretary-general of OPEC, said the National Commission Against Corruption, Collusion and Nepotism should have an equal position to that of the National Commission on Human Rights.

Another group which also visited the House yesterday was the Association of University of Indonesia's Alumni led by its chairman, Maj. Gen. (ret) Hariadi Dharmawan.

The group also called on the House to hold a plenary session in order to call for the People's Consultative Assembly to convene and decide whether Habibie's ascension to power was legal.

"Before Habibie received the mandate from the MPR, his position was transitional in nature, an emergency," he was quoted by Antara as saying. (swe)