MPR tasks Ad Hoc for special session

JAKARTA (JP): The People's Consultative Assembly's Working Committee decided on Friday not to establish special committees, instead assigning its Ad Hoc subcommittees to make preparations for the special session.

The Ad Hoc subcommittees will start their meetings on June 7 to prepare draft decrees in anticipation of decisions that will be made during the plenary session.

"The Ad Hoc subcommittees will effectively work from June 7 until July 24, to make all preparations, including the special session's main agenda," Amien said in the Working Committee's plenary session here on Friday.

He said the Ad Hoc subcommittees would prepare at least three draft decrees relating to the President's impeachment, appointment of a new president and election of a new vice president.

"Such decrees are needed in anticipation of the possible decisions the Assembly could make during the special session," he said, adding that all materials, including the draft decrees and the special session's agenda, would be endorsed in the committee's plenary session on July 24.

Responding to the call for a hastened special session, Amien said after the meeting that the Assembly had no plans to hasten the plenary session because it was against the Constitution.

"The MPR is making preparations for the special session in accordance with the 2000 MPR Decree on special sessions and its internal rules, and it has no constitutional reason to hasten it. Under such a standard situation, it is impossible for the Assembly to hasten the special session because it is against the Constitution," he said.

The Working Committee also decided to convene a plenary session on June 7 to listen to factions' general views on the special session's agenda, as they are currently divided over the issue.

Major factions said the special session's agenda would ask President Abdurrahman to provide accountability for the government's administration, while the National Awakening Party (PKB) and Love the Nation Democratic Party (PDKB) factions were of the opinion that the special session's agenda should ask the President to account for the House's two memorandums of censure.

"The Assembly's main agenda in the special session will be to ask for the President's account of his alleged involvement in Bulogate and Bruneigate, two financial scandals for which the House has censured the President," Ali Masjkur Musa of the PKB faction said.

He said that, to be consistent, the Ad Hoc Committees should also prepare a draft decree on political compromise because it would be possible for the President to reach a political compromise with major parties in the Assembly.

The Attorney General's Office stated earlier this week that the President was not involved in the two scandals.

President Abdurrahman Wahid stated on Friday that the special session had no right to demand a statement of presidential accountability as the 1945 Constitution stipulated clearly that the President only had to account to the MPR at the end of his term of office.

"Just ignore it ... it has only been mentioned by a couple of people. We should find another way to get to the truth," he remarked during an interview with TVRI state television .

"The special session can go ahead, but I remind you that it should not upset the relationship between the President and the House and it should not demand presidential accountability," Abdurrahman added.

But the MPR is determined to ask the President to make a statement of accountability at the upcoming special session.

Should his accountability statement be rejected, the MPR will then elect a new president.

Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri, who is also the chairwoman of the largest party in the House, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), looks set to succeed Abdurrahman as president.

As part of the effort to save his presidency, Abdurrahman has tried to offer a constitutional delegation of power to Megawati and at the same time has threatened to declare a state of emergency.

Megawati, however, rejected Abdurrahman's offer, while the Military top brass and ministers have poured cold water on his idea of declaring a state of emergency. (rms/dja)