New State Policy Guidelines approved
New State Policy Guidelines approved
JAKARTA (JP): The People's Consultative Assembly (MPR)
approved on Tuesday the State Policy Guidelines for the period
1999 to 2004, with a focus on developing the supremacy of law,
good governance and lifting the country from the economic crisis.
The policy guidelines, known by their acronym GBHN, were
unanimously approved in a plenary session presided by MPR
chairman Amien Rais.
They will be presented to the new President after the
inauguration on Wednesday evening.
In a major difference from the GBHN adopted during the 32-year
rule of Soeharto, which only contained directives for the
president, the new set of guidelines stipulates directives for
the President as well as other high state bodies, including the
House of Representatives (DPR), the Supreme Court, the Supreme
Advisory Council (DPA) and the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK).
Under the new guidelines, the President and other state bodies
must account for the execution of the policy guidelines in the
General Session of the MPR.
Under the previous policy guidelines, the president accounted
for the implementation of the policy guidelines only at the end
of his five-year tenure.
The new GBHN cover eight broad sectors -- the law, economy,
politics, religion, education, social life and culture, regional
development, natural resources and environment, defense and
security.
Economic policy guidelines dominate the document.
The guidelines direct the government to create a market-based
economy with healthy and fair competition and to prevent
monopolistic and corrupt market practices.
The government is required to give special attention to the
development of small and medium-size enterprises and cooperatives
amid the free-market structure.
The GBHN rule that foreign loans must be decreased gradually
in a bid to develop a sound state budget with a low deficit.
They also order the new government to renegotiate and
restructure external debts in cooperation with the International
Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank and other creditors and to ask
for House approval for new foreign borrowing.
They list priority programs to cope with the economic crisis
such as price and currency stabilization and the acceleration of
bank and corporate restructuring.
The government is also obliged to promote the supremacy of
law, create a culture of law among the people, uphold human
rights and improve the welfare and the quality of law enforcers,
including the National Police.
The GBHN set directives for the new government to create a
good and clean administration free of corruption, collusion and
nepotism.
They require the auditing and disclosure of the assets of
senior officials before and after their tenure in a bid to
prevent corruption.
The guidelines also call for civil service reform through
better pays, better promotion and training systems.
In the chapter on defense and security, the policy guidelines
set directives for the new government to eliminate the
uncontested seats of the military in the legislature.
They also instruct the next government to take concerted
measures to improve the image of the military and police and to
strengthen their role as the protector of people, enhance their
participation in development programs and help develop democracy
and uphold human rights.
On regional development, the GBHN order the new government to
accelerate the development of outer provinces, particularly the
eastern part of the country.
The new government is required to give provincial
administrations greater responsibility in administering
investment licensing in their respective areas and manage their
own natural resources.
MPR members also agreed to insert clauses on special autonomy
for Aceh and Irian Jaya and efforts at reconciliation in Maluku.
(jsk/rei/05)