President to present draft state budget in September

President to present draft state budget in September

JAKARTA (JP): The House of Representatives (DPR) accepted on
Wednesday President Megawati Soekarnoputri's proposal to delay
until next month the presentation of the draft state budget.

In the past, when the fiscal year was set from April to April,
the draft state budget was presented when the president delivered
the state-of-the-nation address at the House on Aug. 16 as part
of the Independence Day celebrations. Last year, the fiscal year
was changed from January to December and the draft budget was
delivered to the House in October.

Megawati, through her spokesman Bambang Kesowo, confirmed on
Wednesday that she would deliver her state-of-the-nation address
at the House on Aug. 16.

Bambang said it would not be possible to prepare a draft state
budget in three days because the new Cabinet, which would be
sworn in on Friday, Aug 10, 2001, would only start working the
following Monday.

House Speaker Akbar Tandjung said on Wednesday that the House
could understand Megawati's reason for the delay in presenting
the draft state budget as the Cabinet would only be announced on
Thursday.

"This is understandable," Akbar told a media conference after
the meeting.

The legislators have given the President until Sept. 7 to
present the draft state budget to the House, Akbar said. Akbar
added that the debate to finalize the budget should begin on
Sept. 10.

"There will not be enough time for the economics ministers to
draft the 2002 state budget by Aug 16. But the Independence Day
speech by the President should go as scheduled on Aug. 16 before
the House's plenary session," he said.

Wednesday's meeting was attended by senior House leaders, such
as House Deputy Speaker Tosari Widjaja of the United Development
Party (PPP), Soetardjo Soerjogoeritno of the Indonesian
Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) and A.M. Fatwa of
the National Mandate Party (PAN).

Muhaimin Iskandar, the House Deputy Speaker of the National
Awakening Party (PKB), which suspended its factions at the House
in protest of former president Abdurrahman Wahid's impeachment by
the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), was absent

Earlier on Wednesday, Bambang Kesowo said the government would
present the draft state budget on Sept. 15 at the latest, due to
time constraints.

Last year, Megawati, as vice president, read the draft state
budget before a House plenary session for Abdurrahman Wahid who
is visually impaired. (dja)