'MPR should convene more than once'

JAKARTA (JP): The People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), the body in charge of electing a president, should convene at least twice during its five-year term to ensure greater presidential accountability, says an observer.

Noted political observer Sayidiman Suryohadiprojo made the suggestion during a seminar on politics yesterday, saying that such revision from the current practice would also maintain people's sovereignty.

The 1,000 strong Assembly convenes in March of the first year of its five-year tenure in order to deliberate and adopt the State Policy Guidelines and to elect a president.

The current Assembly was established in October 1992, and witnessed then incumbent President Soeharto completing his fifth term by delivering his account of his 1987-1992 leadership in March 1993. It then re-elected Soeharto for a sixth term.

According to Sayidiman, the MPR should at least assemble again when it reaches the halfway stage of its five-year term.

"That way, the person who is mandated president by the MPR will be able to give an account of his duties to the same body who elects him," he said. Normally the President would relate the duties he had carried out to a newly established MPR.

By holding more sessions, the MPR could "take care of the people's feelings, show that sovereignty really belongs to the people," he was quoted by the Antara news agency as saying.

Likewise, the MPR would be "more functional" and effective in its task as the holder of people's sovereignty, he said.

Sayidiman, who is a former ambassador to Japan, also suggested that the working group of MPR, which consists of representatives of the body's factions, should work continuously during the five- year term.

The seminar was held by the Moslem-based United Development Party.

Sayidiman reminded the seminar participants of the need to fully meet people's political rights; this step alone would serve as a means to precisely realize the state-ideology Pancasila.

Another goal of the campaign for democratization is to develop a more prosperous society, one able to deflect other countries' efforts to discredit Indonesia and Pancasila, he said.

In another part of his explanation, Sayidiman said that there is also a need to improve the public's ability to fight for their rights and to improve the quality of the government apparatus.

He also called for a more capable House of Representatives. "The House members should be able to show that they are really the representatives of the people," he said.

"Use the constitutional rights that you hold, you are politicians," he said.

Sayidiman also called for an electoral reform, from the current proportional representation to a first-past-the post system. He said the proposed change would ensure fair representation of the people in legislative bodies. (swe)