Police, TNI gear up for MPR Annual Session
Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Apparently disturbed by intelligence reports of heightened political tension during the upcoming Annual Session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), security authorities said on Monday that careful military-police coordination was needed to tackle possible clashes and unrest after the commencement of the session on Thursday.
National Police chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar said security personnel would be extra-alert in six critical provinces -- West Java, East Java, Central Java, Lampung, Bali, and the state capital Jakarta.
"We have received information (from the intelligence body) that security in these six regions might be disrupted during the Assembly's session.
"We also predict that groups from these regions may flood the capital in an attempt to voice their political aspirations," Da'i told a media conference, which was held after a special meeting on political and security affairs on Monday.
"The security operation will last for 25 days, before, during and after the MPR session," he said, citing that it would include personal protection for all politicians participating in the session.
Present at the meeting, which was chaired by Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, were Indonesian Military (TNI) chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto, Minister of Home Affairs Hari Sabarno and National Intelligence Agency (BIN) chief A.M. Hendropriyono.
Da'i said the police would deploy 38,753 personnel to the six regions, with 5,898 stationed in Jakarta. He added that should the security situation worsen at the Assembly building, the police would instantly deploy 40,000 reinforcements to the capital.
The military would back the police in maintaining security, Da'i said, adding that repressive measures might have to be taken should the situation get out of control.
The Assembly Annual Session is scheduled to run from Aug. 1 through Aug. 10, with the main agenda items being President Megawati Soekarnoputri's progress report and deliberations on the fourth amendment to the 1945 Constitution.
The ongoing amendment has raised some concern as it will enter the proceedings with deliberations on some of its most sensitive and crucial articles.
These include the presidential election process and the plan to insert the seven words of the Jakarta Charter, accommodating the imposition of sharia law.
President Megawati's Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) earlier expressed its reluctance to support a direct presidential election, as well as to insert the Jakarta Chapter into the Constitution.
A similar view has been voiced by the TNI Headquarters.
Meanwhile, Vice President Hamzah Haz's United Development Party (PPP) and the Crescent Star Party (PBB) are insisting on adopting sharia in the Constitution. Their stance is being supported by several hard-line groups in the country, including the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI), the Association of Indonesian Muslim Workers (PPMI) and the Hizbollah Front.
"To date, there are about 23 groups -- including the FPI -- that have informed us that they will stage rallies during the session to voice their political aspirations," Da'i said.
Asked about the security budget for the Assembly session, Da'i said, "It will be about Rp 3 billion (some US$333,000)."