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)