Next president no longer to appoint top officials

Next president no longer to appoint top officials

JAKARTA (JP): The People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Ad Hoc
Committee III was split on Tuesday over the state institution
authorized to appoint top officials in the Supreme Court, the
Supreme Audit Agency and the Supreme Advisory Council.

Party representatives in the committee, however, said they
were of the same opinion that the authority would no longer be
awarded to the president in a bid to ensure the rule of law and
the officials' independence.

Slamet Effendy Yusuf, the committee's deputy chairman, said
the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan)
faction wanted top officials in the three state institutions to
be selected by the House of Representatives, while other factions
insisted that the authority should belong to the MPR, which is
the highest lawmaking body, according to the Constitution.

He said that the committee members unanimously agreed that the
Supreme Court, Supreme Audit Agency and Supreme Advisory Council
could not function independently or perform well in the past
because the chiefs of the three state bodies were named by the
president.

"We are of the same opinion that top officials in the three
state institutions should be accountable to the MPR, instead of
the president," he said.

Aberson Marle Sihaloho, the spokesman for the PDI Perjuangan
faction, said his faction opposed the proposal sponsored by
Golkar and other factions for constitutional reasons.

"In accordance with the 1945 Constitution, the MPR works to
endorse the Constitution, draw up State Policy Guidelines and
elect a president and vice president," he said.

The Ad Hoc Committee II was also unable to settle a debate
over the formulation of a decree on East Timor, which would
revoke a previous decree on the former Portuguese colony's status
as the country's 27th province.

The PDI Perjuangan faction urged the Assembly not to annul the
1978 decree before lodging a protest against the United Nations
Mission in East Timor (UNAMET) for allegedly misconducting the
Aug. 30 popular consultation there.

"We also want Australian troops to get out of East Timor,"
said PDI Perjuangan representative Zulkarnain.

Spokesman for the Indonesian Military/National Police faction
Maj. Gen. Budi Harsono said, however, the Assembly should make a
decision soon.

"We have to be realistic on the East Timor issue because the
result is already known," Budi said, while suggesting that
emotion should not be involved in deliberation.

The interest group and reform factions shared the view, saying
that it was irrelevant to reject the ballot result, in which 78.5
percent of voters rejected the autonomy offer within Indonesia in
the historic referendum.

Meanwhile, Supreme Court chief Sarwata swore in 39 new
Assembly members representing Aceh, North Sumatra, Riau, Jambi,
East Kalimantan and Maluku and two House of Representatives
members.

The new MPR members included Abdul Gafur, the former House
deputy speaker, and Syarwan Hamid, the former home affairs
minister.

Gafur's appointment to the Assembly representing Aceh drew
protests from hundreds of university students from the province.

"Abdul Gafur is political waste that cannot be recycled," read
a banner displayed by demonstrators on Monday. Gafur failed to
qualify in Southeast Sulawesi previously.

The induction of five regional representatives from West
Kalimantan was canceled on Tuesday following a letter from
Minister of Justice/State Secretary Muladi, who asked for a delay
of the ceremony.

Hundreds of protesters ransacked the provincial legislature on
Monday, citing an unfair composition of the five representatives
in the MPR. (05/rms)