Regional representative discussion gets support

JAKARTA (JP): People's Consultative Assembly members on Tuesday expressed strong support for the inclusion of a regional representatives faction in the Assembly, but decided to defer its establishment till December.

The delay was felt necessary to prepare for all possible consequences.

The Assembly's Commission B, tasked with deliberating drafts of Assembly decrees, agreed late on Monday to propose to the plenary session the reestablishment of the regional representatives faction. If approved, the plenary will formally endorse the proposal on Friday.

The decision was made after regional representatives protested the original decision to reestablish the faction in the 2001 annual session of the Assembly.

"We still have a lot of work to do before we can reestablish the faction. There are a lot of problems and technicalities to be solved," commission chairman Rambe Kamarulzaman said.

"We don't know yet whether all regional representatives are willing to leave their attachments to political parties behind. We expect it to be a full faction with 130 members. None of them can have any affiliations to political parties," he added.

Regional representatives, five from each province, were elected by provincial councils, after being nominated and supported by provincial branches of political parties.

The faction's presence was abolished during the Assembly's 1999 General Session.

"There has been an option aired by the regional representatives that they will assemble as a faction on problems concerning regional interests but channel their political aspirations through their parties' factions," said Rambe.

"We must ensure the faction's reestablishment can provide adequate access to the provinces although political parties also have their own access," he added.

He also said there were problems with the faction's organizational technicalities that could affect the running of the Assembly.

"The representatives must appoint their own faction leaders. They must also appoint a representative to be Assembly deputy speaker," he said.

Another problem is the status of deputy speaker Ginandjar Kartasasmita of the Golkar Party faction. He is also a regional representative from West Java.

"I don't know how to settle things like this. That's why the commission suggested the faction be reestablished in December and not right away," said Rambe. (nvn)