PPP steadfast in rejecting extra presidential power

PPP steadfast in rejecting extra presidential power

JAKARTA (JP): The minority United Development Party (PPP)
bought more time yesterday with its rejection of the motion to
give the next president extra power, forcing the People's
Consultative Assembly (MPR) to delay its decision on the draft.

Up to yesterday -- the end of the usual three days allotted
for the deliberation of an MPR decree -- PPP kept challenging the
decree sponsored by dominant Golkar and its allies, the Armed
Forces and the regional representatives factions.

PPP spokesman Zain Badjeber said the Moslem-based faction
could agree to the material, but wanted the extra power to be
included in the 1998/2003 State Policy Guidelines rather than be
established as a separate, more powerful decree.

He hinted, however, that the faction might eventually give in.

The decree, if passed, would give the next president the
authority to take preemptive measures against those considered to
be undermining the national development program. The Indonesian
Democratic Party (PDI) also supported the motion.

"We need time to regroup for an internal consultation. I have
listed all items which caused debate during the deliberation, and
will discuss them with PPP executives," Zain said.

A minor discrepancy was the choice of words for the Assembly's
extra mandate to the president, according to Zain.

He said PPP insisted that the mandate be "granted" to the
president, while the majority said the authority was
"transferred".

Chief of the Assembly's committee deliberating nonstate policy
guideline decrees, Wiranto, said the semantics were not serious
concern for the committee.

He said all five factions had agreed that the extra power
would become effective in the 1998/2003 president's tenure and
the Assembly would consider extending the term of the mandate in
the general session.

However, the committee could not agree on what procedures a
president should undertake when accounting for the use of that
power to the Assembly.

"Each of the factions will hold an internal consultative
meeting to discuss the proper mechanism," Wiranto said.

A committee member, Suparman Achmad, said the next president
would not have to exercise the extra power if the country already
applied a national security law.

"The decree would serve ... to deter any attempts ... to
endanger the national unity and development program," Suparman of
the Armed Forces said.

Minister of Defense Edi Sudrajat told a hearing with the House
of Representatives Tuesday that the government had completed a
draft of the national security bill and was ready to submit it to
the House for deliberation.

"We place the bill as top priority. Hopefully we can
deliberate it next year," Edi said.

The Assembly committee spent the second half of its meeting
yesterday listening to arguments of each faction in response to
PDI's draft of the Pancasila democracy concept. (amd)