PDI Perjuangan retracts call for special session
JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesia Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) has become the latest party to jump on the bandwagon of major parties retracting their demands for an accelerated special session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR).
The party's deputy chairman Roy B. Janis told reporters after an executive meeting on Tuesday that PDI Perjuangan could find no strong legal and constitutional grounds for bringing forward the holding of the special session.
Roy said that PDI Perjuangan no longer had the right to push for a change in the date of the event as such decisions were now in the hands of the Assembly's working committee.
"We are sticking to the original schedule of Aug. 1. We need a strong constitutional basis for bringing forward the special session and, thus far, we have found no good reasons for doing so," Roy said.
Leaders of Golkar Party, United Development Party, National Mandate Party earlier had earlier ruled out any possibility of changing the date of the special session.
At a meeting chaired by party leader Megawati Soekarnoputri, who is also the Vice President, PDI Perjuangan resolved to proceed with the special session even if President Abdurrahman Wahid, or Gus Dur as he is familiarly known, refused to attend it.
The special session will demand that Abdurrahman account for his administration's performance, a request by the MPR which has been labeled unconstitutional by Abdurrahman's supporters.
If the President's accountability statement were to be rejected, Megawati would automatically succeed him as president.
PDI Perjuangan had been among the five major parties that have been eagerly seeking a constitutional basis for moving the session forward in response to the President's controversial moves, notably his alleged plans to declare a state of emergency and to replace key military officers, the suspension of National Police chief Gen. Surojo Bimantoro and the decision to resurrect graft investigations involving his political foes, including Golkar Party chairman Akbar Tandjung and PDI Perjuangan deputy chairman Arifin Panigoro.
Last week, the party's secretary-general Soetjipto said PDI Perjuangan could justify bringing forward the holding of the special session based upon the worsening conditions in the country.
Roy said, however, that the idea of bringing forward the MPR special session was nothing more than a discourse.
"Holding meetings with other parties to push for a hastened special session is not the business of the factions in the House of Representatives," Roy said, referring to a series of interparty meetings hosted by Arifin Panigoro, the party's House faction chairman.
The party's deputy secretary-general, Pramono Anung, said that a decision to retain Sophan Sophiaan as chairman of the party's faction in the MPR had been taken during the meeting.
Sophan had been asking to be allowed to resign from the post as he felt himself at odds with the ongoing power struggle within the MPR.
Arifin, who also attended the meeting, said the party executives had also discussed all necessary preparations ahead of the special session.
Commenting on the graft probe against Arifin, Roy said that the party would remain neutral, noting that it was a personal problem involving Arifin and that the alleged corruption happened long before the businessman join PDI Perjuangan.
"Ibu always underlines the rule of law so the party will not discuss or interfere in the case. Actually, this is the right time for Arifin to prove his innocence," Roy said.
On Tuesday, Arifin, an oil tycoon, refused to comment on the probe.
Meanwhile, Antara reported that a group of PDI Perjuangan members in South Jakarta staged a protest demanding that Arifin be sacked for "using PDI Perjuangan as his political vehicle". (dja)