Political factions rehearse induction of legislators
JAKARTA (JP): New members of the House of Representatives and People's Consultative Assembly for 1997/2002 held a dress rehearsal yesterday for tomorrow's induction ceremony.
Antara reported that 936 of the 1,000 members -- from factions of the United Development Party (PPP), Golkar, Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI), Armed Forces (ABRI) and those appointed to represent various social groups -- attended the House's rehearsal.
The people's representatives have been here for several days and were staying at Sahid Hotel, Hotel Indonesia, Sari Pan Pacific Hotel and Kartika Chandra Hotel.
The legislators are expected to elect tomorrow the youngest and oldest members among them to act as cochair at tomorrow's sessions.
Of the 1,000 members, 500 are members of both the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) and House of Representatives (DPR). Of those 425 were elected in the May general elections -- 89 hailing from PPP, 325 from Golkar and 11 from PDI.
The other 75 DPR/MPR members were appointed from the Armed Forces -- 39 from the Army, 12 Navy, 12 Air Force and 12 National Police.
The other 500 legislators will serve only at the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) with their task, among others, to elect a president and vice president and adopt the State Guideline Policies.
From this group, 149 people are representatives of various regions in the country and were selected by the 27 provincial legislative councils.
Another 251 represent PPP (45 people), Golkar (163), PDI (5), Armed Forces (38) at the Assembly.
The remaining 100 MPR members are appointees from various social groups. Antara said that 11 are intellectuals, 11 from youth organizations, 11 women activists, 10 ulemas and clergies, 12 businessmen, 15 from civil servants organizations, 11 educators, two representatives of cooperatives, two farmers, three industrial workers, four artists, five journalists and one publisher.
President Soeharto appointed the representatives from Golkar, the Armed Forces -- based on a recommendation from the Armed Forces Commander -- and 100 people from various social groups.
House Secretary-General Afif Ma'roef said tomorrow's session will start with DPR and MPR members taking an oath.
The new House will then approve a schedule for sessions until Oct. 3, approve new internal rules and endorse members of the House factions.
On Thursday, the bodies will elect the House speaker and other executives.
Separately, the government-backed Golkar announced yesterday that it had recruited a group of intellectuals to serve as its "team of experts" in the House.
They included legal expert Loebby Loqman, foreign expert Dewi Fortuna Anwar, urban expert Anwar Ilmar, economist Umar Juoro, Moslem scholar Komaruddin Hidayat and banker Nyoman Moena.
Also yesterday, a group of PDI activists made a last ditch attempt to protest the inauguration of senior PDI politician Fatimah Achmad and her colleagues into the House.
Some 150 activists, claiming to represent the PDI branch in Bogor, West Java, and be the "victims of legally defective representatives", delivered their written protest to the House but failed to meet with any legislators.
"Fatimah Achmad and her friends do not deserve to be people's representatives because they have been proven to be unable to protect the people. Instead, they sacrificed people," the demonstrators said in a statement signed by M. Natsir and Agus Siswantoro.
Fatimah and a group of party dissenters held in June last year a government-backed rebel congress that toppled then chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri and reinstated former chief Soerjadi.
Megawati has been fighting her removal in court. (swe/09)