PDI Perjuangan retracts call for special session
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)