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Headings
1. Amen: 8 x 4 lines
MPR urged
to share
power
with public
The People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) seems to be mired in a
deep dilemma.
If legislators cave in to public demands to have a say on
amending the Constitution, they would dilute the long-established
Assembly's authority to do so, while if they reject the call, the
Assembly would be labeled as undemocratic.
Participants at a seminar reviewing the draft of the
constitutional amendment repeated their calls for the
establishment of a independent constitutional commission.
Constitutional observer Hasyim Djalal suggested that during
its annual session in August the Assembly approve a clause
recommending the establishment of a constitutional commission.
"The clause can be added to article 37 of the Constitution to
accommodate the public's demand," Hasyim said at the seminar here
on Friday.
Hadar N. Gumay of the Center for Electoral Reform (Cetro)
added that the legislators should open the amendment process to
public participation.
According to Hadar, if the public throughout the country were
given the opportunity to participate in the amendment process it
would have a sense of ownership of the Constitution, thereby
forging national unity.
Cetro and dozens of non-governmental groups have been
campaigning for the establishment of an independent commission
since 2000, but the Assembly members have given it the cold
shoulder.
Instead of adopting the idea, the Assembly empowered itself by
amending article 3. The original version of the article, which
says that the Assembly has the authority to enact the
Constitution and the Broad Guidelines of State Policy (GBHN) has
been modified to mean that the Assembly has the authority to
amend and enact the Constitution.
2. Maluku: 20 x 2 lines
TNI to maintain elite force
presence in troubled areas
The Indonesian Military (TNI) says it will keep its Special Force
(Kopassus) troops in conflict areas, despite increasing concerns
Kopassus is participating in the conflicts.
TNI spokesman Maj. Gen. Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin said local
military authorities in the troubled regions were responsible for
their troops' behavior, including the soldiers' alleged
involvement in several clashes.
3. Police: 32 x 1 line:
Angry police officers keep fighting
A number of high-ranking police officers are considering a legal
fight at the State Administrative Court (PTUN) to challenge the
National Police Headquarters' retirement age policy which will
terminate their service.
The lawyer for the senior officers, Adnan Buyung Nasution,
said his clients pondered the move after the Supreme Court
suggested in its decree that the officers take legal measures to
resolve the dispute.
"The Supreme Court has not done us any favors. We already knew
that we needed to pursue this matter legally, but were hoping
that the Supreme Court would further analyze the matter and issue
a clear decision," Adnan told reporters at a seminar
The officers, including former Jakarta Police chief Comr. Gen.
Sofjan Jacoeb, resisted the National Police decision which
stipulates that they are subject to the old retirement age of 55.
The National Police Law No. 2/2002 sets the maximum retirement
age at 58.
National Police Chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar has defended the
controversial policy, saying that the new retirement age could
not take effect until the government issues an operational
regulation.
4. Army: 24 x 2 lines:
TNI awaits Megawati's nod
for Army chief candidate
The Indonesian Military (TNI) headquarters had completed the
selecting process to promote its high ranking military officer to
the Army top posts, an official said on Friday.
The TNI spokesman Maj. Gen. Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin further said
that the TNI is awaiting for the President Megawati
Soekarnoputeri's decision to pick the name proposed by the high
ranking promotions and duty rotation (wanjakti).
He, nevertheless, refused to disclose whether the Wanjakti has
proposed more than one name to fill in the Army's top post, as
well as its second top post.
"Now the TNI leave the decision to the President. I can't
reveal whether or not the Wanjakti has proposed more than one
name as the Army chiefs candidates," Sjafrie told the press
briefing here.
The Army Chief of Staff Gen. Endriartono Sutarto currently
controls two Army's top posts following the retirement of his
deputy Lt. Gen. Kiki Syahnakrie early in May.
Nevertheless, Endriartono, the 1971 graduation of the Armed
Forces Academy (Akabri), will likely leave his posts immediately
should the House of Representatives approve the President's wish
to have him as the TNI chief replacing Adm. Widodo A.S.
Rumor has rife that Lt. Gen. Djamari Chaniago, the incumbent
TNI's chief of general affairs and also Endriartono's classmate,
is a strong candidate to fill in the Army's top post, considering
that he is the most senior officer among other three-star
generals.
5. Labor: 32 x 1 line
Jamsostek backs govt plan on bank, hospital
As part of its altering image, state-owned insurance company
PT Jamsostek will back the government's plan to establish a
hospital and a bank for manual workers to help improve the social
welfare of around 28 million low-income workers and their
families.
Lukman Hakim, Jamsostek's finance director, said the decision
was made as part of the company's internal reforms to improve its
service to workers and their families.
"Jamsostek will set aside a part of its Rp 300 billion
marginal profit in the 2001 fiscal year to help the health and
banking program," he said at a workshop on the social security
program for manual workers in the West Java town of Cipanas on
Friday.
He explained the funds for the health and banking program will
not be taken from its assets collected from workers but from its
annual profits earned from its investments.
"We have requested the government allow us to hand over only
25 percent, instead of 50 percent of our 2001 profits as dividend
so that we have tactical funds to support the planned
establishment of a hospital and bank for manual workers," he
said.
Jamsostek amassed Rp 2002 billion in profit in 2000 and Rp 300
billion in 2001 from its investment in numerous sectors. Until
March 31, 2002, the company's assets amounted to Rp 17.4
trillion, mostly collected for the pension program under a social
security scheme.
The hospital and bank program was initiated by Minister of
Manpower and Transmigration Jacob Nua Wea in a tripartite
cooperation with labor unions and the Association of Indonesian
Employers (Apindo).
Lukman said that for the sake of efficiency, Jamsostek has
thrown its weight behind the government's plan to purchase a
nationalized bank for the proposed bank.
"It is cheaper and more efficient to purchase a taken-over
bank than establish a new bank that would absorb at least Rp 3
trillion," he said.