Nine draft decrees set for next govt

Nine draft decrees set for next govt

JAKARTA (JP): The working committee of the People's
Consultative Assembly (MPR) has prepared nine draft decrees,
including the State Policy Guidelines for the 1999-2004 period
and the amendment of the 1945 Constitution, for the next
government to implement.

The nine decrees plus a draft decision on the MPR General
Session's agenda, designed by the Assembly's Ad Hoc Committees
from Oct. 4 through Oct. 14, were handed over to the working
committee in the latter's plenary session on Thursday. All the
draft decrees will be further deliberated by MPR commissions
before being endorsed in the General Session.

Theo Sambuaga, who chaired Ad Hoc Subcommittee I for drafting
the State Policy Guidelines (GBHN), said the GBHN draft contains
feasible economic, monetary and political programs that should be
carried out by the next government.

"In the economic and monetary fields, my subcommittee should
be able to complete the ongoing bank restructuring program, to
encourage the growth of real sectors, decrease the inflation
rate, repair the state balance sheet and improve the country's
export market. In short, economic development should not be
oriented toward economic growth as it was in the past, but to the
empowerment of small and middle-scale business to improve the
entire welfare of the people," Theo said.

Noting that the next development program should also pay
attention to reforming the judiciary system and law enforcement
institution in order to ensure the supremacy of law, he said
development in the country's social, political, education,
religion and human rights fields should be directed to help
minimize social conflicts and improve people's political
awareness.

I Dewa Gde Palguna, the secretary of the Ad Hoc Subcommittee
II, said his subcommittee drafted seven decrees on the presidency
and vice presidency and the agenda of the second part of the MPR
General Session.

The seven decrees were, among other things, the ruling on the
presidential election, the swearing-in of the president and vice
president, the president's accountability and the planned
revocation of the 1988 MPR decree on the limitation of
presidential power.

Palguna also reported to the plenary session that his
committee failed to reach an agreement on a number of issues on
the presidential election and the planned revocation of the 1978
MPR decree on the East Timor integration to Indonesia.

"Regarding the draft on the ruling on the presidential
election, the subcommittee was split over the necessity for
presidential candidates to present their own vision in a dialog
with the Assembly, for the selection of presidential candidates
in two or three phases and for the nomination of alternative
presidential candidates if the presidential election is
deadlocked," he said.

He said the subcommittee was also divided over the necessity
of setting conditions for the revocation of the MPR decree on
East Timor, which is still claimed by Portugal as part of its
territory, as well as the United Nations had yet to investigate
violations by UNAMET staff in the Aug. 30 ballot on East Timor.

Harun Kamil, the chairman of the Ad Hoc Subcommittee III,
said that his committee made significant changes to numerous
chapters in the Constitution to limit presidential power and
privileges while empowering other state institutions like the
MPR, the House of Representatives and the Audit Agency.

"We have amended ten chapters in total. With the amendment,
the next president will stay in office for two five-year terms at
the most and he/she will have no power to make laws. The
legislative power is returned to the House," Harun said.

The next president will also be obliged to have consultation
with the House before appointing his/her ministers and new
ambassadors. And the next chiefs of the Supreme Court, Audit
Agency and Supreme Advisory Council will be appointed by the MPR,
he added.

MPR Chairman Amien Rais, who presided over the plenary
session, said that all the draft decrees would be brought to MPR
commissions for further deliberation before they are endorsed by
the MPR General Session, scheduled to convene until Oct. 21.

"We hope all the draft decrees will get serious attention from
the MPR commissions, which are scheduled to start deliberating
them on Saturday," he said, adding the agenda of the MPR General
Session was endorsed on Thursday night.

When asked on whether the MPR General Session, including the
presidential election, would run in accordance with the schedule,
Amien said he would work hard to stick to the planned agenda so
that it would end on time.

"If we look at the planned agenda, there is a possibility that
the General Session will be prolonged. But we will work hard to
stick to the schedule," he said. (rms)