Political factions rehearse induction of legislators

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)