MPR undecided over presidential election procedures

MPR undecided over presidential election procedures

JAKARTA (JP): The People's Consultative Assembly (MPR)
completed deliberation on procedures of presidential nomination
and election on Sunday, but left three major issues unresolved.

Hari Sabarno, deputy chairman of the MPR Ad Hoc committee II
deliberating draft decrees other than the State Policy
Guidelines, told reporters after Sunday's session that his team
was split on selection stages a presidential candidate must
undergo, the need for an open debate for candidates and the
possibility of naming alternative candidates if the election ends
in a stalemate.

"We can allow for faction or MPR leaders to settle the issues
before they are brought to the plenary MPR meeting," Hari said as
quoted by Antara after attending the ad hoc committee session.

He said the MPR might resort to voting if agreement on the
matters could not be reached.

"Decision-making through a vote, other than the traditional
method of deliberation for consensus, will prevent us from
reaching a deadlock. Whatever the result of the vote, everybody
must accept it," he said.

Voting has become the order of the day in the MPR, which used
to chant a unison of approval under the 32-year reign of the New
Order regime. The 700-member MPR voted on the composition of
factions and its chairmanship last week.

Apart from the unsettled issues, the ad hoc committee agreed
that a faction or a group of 70 MPR members is allowed to
campaign for a presidential candidate and that a presidential
nominee is subject to presenting his or her vision on national
unity.

According to the committee, a presidential candidate must be
40 years of age or above and agree to declare his or her wealth.
The committee, however, proposed some unquantified requirements
for the candidates, including honesty, fairness and charm.

A group of lecturers representing the Center for Electoral
Reform (Cetro) met with the ad hoc committee earlier in the day
to express support for an open presidential nomination and a
debate between presidential candidates.

The ad hoc committee has also approved the draft decree on MPR
internal rules. It has 13 drafts more to deliberate over the next
four days.

It will begin deliberating the draft on East Timor on Monday,
after a hearing with foreign minister Ali Alatas. Chairman of the
ad hoc committee Sabam Sirait said Alatas was expected to brief
the MPR members about the latest developments in East Timor,
which voted against the government's wide-ranging autonomy offer
in the Aug. 30 ballot.

Ad Hoc Committee III, meanwhile, continued its deliberation on
constitutional amendments, which focus on 1945 Constitution
articles related to the MPR's and a president's authorities.

A committee member, Khofifah Indar Parawansa of the National
Awakening faction, said remaining articles to be amended would be
given to the new MPR committee which would be assigned to
complete the amendments before Indonesians celebrate the nation's
55th Independence Day on Aug. 17, 2000.

Khofifah said the Constitution should clearly determine
presidential authority as a head of state or a head of
government.

"There must be elaboration of presidential privileges and
authority which need approval from the MPR, the House of
Representatives and the Supreme Court," she said.

On MPR authorities, Khofifah said the ad hoc committee would
recommend that the highest lawmaking body be empowered to elect
and dismiss leaders of high state institutions, including the
Supreme Court, the Supreme Supervisory Council and the Supreme
Audit Agency.

"The present practice allows the state institutions to ignore
their accountability to the public. A chief justice, for example,
takes an oath which obliges him or her to be responsible to God
and his or her conscience. This is very difficult to gauge," she
said.

To sum up the first week of deliberation in the MPR working
committee, Assembly Speaker Amien Rais praised the smooth process
of the deliberation.

"So far I don't think the committee sessions will pose a
hurdle to the MPR General Session, which will resume on Oct. 15,"
Amien told a media conference on Sunday night.

On the possibility of a presidential debate, he said MPR
leaders recommended that Ad Hoc Committee II not propose a
question-and-answer session to follow the presentation of a
presidential candidate's vision. (amd)