MPR told to issue power-sharing decree

BANDUNG (JP): A power-sharing arrangement between President Abdurrahman Wahid and Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri depends mostly on the People's Consultative Assembly, a constitutional law professor said here on Sunday.

Sri Soemantri from Padjadjaran University in Bandung, West Java, suggested that Assembly members convene to discuss and issue a decree on a power-sharing formula, which has a stronger legal basis than the current presidential decree that mandates Megawati with the day-to-day running of the government.

"Distributing the power between the President and Vice President is a good solution to the present political deadlock. In order to avoid any possible violations of the presidential decree, the Assembly must take the initiative by issuing a decree on the matter," Sri said.

In its annual session last year, the Assembly recommended that the beleaguered President share his power with the Vice President in order to improve the government's performance.

Amid mounting pressure on him to resign, the President rejected the possibility of giving Megawati more power, particularly that which was related to policy-making and the appointment of state officials.

Sri said unlike the current presidential decree, the Assembly decree should specify which fields of policy-making Abdurrahman will have to share power with Megawati.

The professor further noted that the distribution of responsibilities between the President and Vice President would be the consequence of the power sharing.

"I guess it would be unfair if the President is held responsible for any policies decided by the Vice President," Sri said.

He said power sharing was applied under first president Sukarno, when he appointed vice president Mohammad Hatta as prime minister in 1948. It was agreed that the prime minister, along with his ministers, was responsible to the Indonesian National Central Committee (KNIP), an advisory body to the president, established in 1945.

"Such a convention remains relevant, I guess," Sri said.

Compromise

Social observer Franz Magnis-Suseno said in Purwokerto, Central Java, on Saturday that a compromise would be the best formula to end the conflict between the political elite because the Constitution offers nothing to settle the dispute.

"Informal meetings among them could start the compromise," Magnis told reporters on the sidelines of a one-day seminar on political ethics organized by The Association of Islamic Students of Purwokerto.

"They should put their own interests behind them, stop their maneuvers and start to talk about the nation's fate," the Catholic priest said.

He said if compromise efforts failed, the constitutional way of impeaching the President through a special session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) was likely.

"Of course, a conflict between supporters would likely take place. But it may not lead to national disintegration," he said.

In his paper, Magnis said the political elite lacked ethics, which was a prerequisite for unity and democracy.

Another speaker at the seminar, historian Hermawan Sulistyo, concurred with Magnis, adding that a political compromise would be "the cheapest" way to break the political stalemate.

"A political compromise is not a power sharing in the Cabinet, which will solve nothing. A political compromise means the empowerment of the head of state and the vice president," Hermawan said. (02/25/45/sur)