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)