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)