PDI Perjuangan, Golkar differ on military seats in MPR

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The country's two largest political parties remain in deadlock over the military's seats at the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) with lobbying at the MPR Annual Session next August likely to be the only way out.

Legislators said on Friday the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) and Golkar were expected to resolve their differences through lobbying.

Disagreement centers on whether or not the MPR should retain the Indonesian Military (TNI) nonelected members until 2009.

PDI Perjuangan has stated that it is in favor of maintaining the TNI seats until 2009, provided the military did not exercise its voting rights. Golkar however wanted nonelected members out of the MPR.

"We want the MPR to only consist of the House of Representatives and the Regional Representative Council," Golkar legislator Slamet Effendy Yusuf told The Jakarta Post.

Talks to amend the 1945 Constitution include redefining the role of the MPR, the country's highest legislative body. At present MPR members include nonelected faction groups, which some claim undermine the Assembly's credibility.

Though not elected, TNI members occupy 38 seats in the legislature, which makes up more than half of the MPR membership.

Under the latest amendment draft, two options have emerged -- either the MPR consists only of elected members or it retains its current composition, meaning nonelected faction groups would still be present.

A supplementary article has been included in the latest draft, mentioning the TNI and the National Police as faction groups.

The new article comes in contradiction to a recently submitted general election bill which attempts to remove TNI from the Assembly by 2004 by granting military members voting rights.

TNI senior officials have opposed the idea of a voting military, fearing it may split its members into warring political factions.

But critics suspect the TNI wants to maintain its free seats in the MPR until 2009, and is trying to bargain with their voting rights to do so.

On Thursday PDI Perjuangan legislator Jakob Tobing suggested that it would be only fair to retain the TNI seats if they agreed not to vote until 2009.

He said a political deal had been made between the ad hoc committee and the TNI to guarantee them their MPR seats until 2009; unless a new regulation called for their earlier withdrawal.

That would be the general election bill. However the bill appears to have neither the backing of the TNI nor many among the political parties.

Golkar's Slamet said the August annual session of the MPR opened the way for lobbying between the parties to unlock the stalemate on the TNI's presence.

"A possible scenario is that PDI Perjuangan would offer to compromise on the military seats in return for the presidential election at the MPR," he explained.

Chapter III of the Constitution amendment draft calls for a direct presidential election. The ad hoc committee has yet to decide on an alternative if no candidate can secure the mandatory 51 percent votes to win the election.

Taking two of the top candidates, either the MPR takes over their election or voters get a rerun based on the two remaining names.

Slamet said that Golkar and most other parties preferred that the public cast their votes a second time.

Jakob said his party did not favor a rerun and would instead prefer the MPR take over the election process. "We won't be too pushy on this, we are open to compromise," he added.

However, he denied that a compromise would meant trading disputed articles within the Constitution.

He added that the ad hoc committee would meet for the last time early next month to attempt to resolve the remaining contentious issues before the annual session.