MPR pushed to convene extraordinary session

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)