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)