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)