Police, TNI gear up for MPR Annual Session

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)."