President warns MPR against meddling in executive affairs

President warns MPR against meddling in executive affairs

JAKARTA (JP): President Abdurrahman Wahid warned top
legislators on Thursday against meddling in executive affairs by
trying to regulate his plan to share work with Vice President
Megawati Soekarnoputri.

Speaking on a visit to the South Kalimantan capital of
Banjarmasin, Abdurrahman said the People's Consultative Assembly
(MPR) should not seek to formalize the work-sharing arrangement
between the President and the Vice President.

"The MPR should not meddle in the affairs of the executive,
they should not get that mixed up," Abdurrahman was quoted by
Antara as saying.

He was referring to calls by some members of the MPR to set
down Abdurrahman's promise to share his workload with the Vice
President in a decree to be issued by the MPR, which is currently
holding its Annual Session.

The President said the MPR was free to issue decrees but
cautioned that no decree should interfere in matters which are
reserved to the executive branch.

Abdurrahman said he had personally called on Muhaimin
Iskandar, the secretary general of the National Awakening Party
(PKB), the party which he helped found and which is the fourth
largest party in the House of Representatives, to reject any
attempt by the MPR to issue a decree governing the work sharing
arrangements.

The President, better known as Gus Dur, was named the PKB's
chief patron late last month.

Abdurrahman in a speech to the MPR on Wednesday promised to
hand over the day-to-day technicalities of running the government
to Megawati.

He said he would charge Megawati with the daily tasks of
government, drawing up the cabinet agenda and establishing the
focus and priorities of the government.

"After the MPR annual session, I will issue a presidential
decree on sharing tasks so that the Vice President may conduct
the day-to-day running of the government," the President said on
Thursday. (byg)