PDI Perjuangan to avoid deadlock
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Leaders of the largest party in the Assembly the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) agreed on Saturday to play safe and go with the flow in the upcoming Annual Session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR).
"We are ready. Whatever happens in the coming Assembly Annual Session we will just follow," said secretary-general Soetjipto at the closing of the party's three-day leadership meeting on Saturday.
A reliable party source told The Jakarta Post on Saturday that the decision was taken because the party had to maintain political support for Megawati until 2004 and for that they chose not to challenge major parties at the Assembly.
"If the session wants to have a direct presidential election by 2004, we are ready but we do prefer it to be in 2009," Soetjipto remarked.
He said that party chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri had instructed PDI Perjuangan legislators to avoid a deadlock in the amendment process.
"The message is clear, we are going to avoid a deadlock in the debate in the coming Annual Session," Soetjipto said.
The MPR will convene in August to endorse, among other things, amendments to the 1945 Constitution.
Some contentious issues such as direct presidential election and the possibility of replacing Assembly Speaker Amien Rais had come to the fore in the past few weeks.
PDI Perjuangan disagreed last year with direct election in the second round of the presidential election.
The decision not to take a hard line seems to have been taken to avoid possible confrontation with Muslim-based political parties which have intensified their lobbying in the past few weeks.
The National Awakening Party (PKB), National Mandate Party (PAN), United Development Party (PPP) along with other parties had moved to unite perception in the coming session.
The party's faction chairman at the Assembly Arifin Panigoro said that they will intensify communication with other parties, including Golkar, the second largest party in the country.
"Of course we are going to communicate with Golkar and also with other parties," Arifin said.
The meeting also decided that they will hold a three-day national working meeting on July 17 in Denpasar to further communicate the decision to their branches across the country.
Commenting on the proposal to replace the Assembly speaker, Soetjipto said that PDI Perjuangan had never entertained the idea.
"But we will follow the situation, but that does not mean we agree with the proposal," he added.