Rp 50b allocated for MPR General Session

JAKARTA (JP): The price of democracy is high, and this year it is estimated at some Rp 50 billion.

That is the expected cost for the upcoming General Session of the People's Consultative Assembly, the most expensive ever held in the nation's history.

The Rp 49.269 billion budget more than doubles the Rp 20.74 billion cost of the Assembly's Special Session in November 1998, and tops the Rp 44.797 billion spent on the 1997 General Session.

Assembly secretary-general Afif Ma'roef broke down the budget here on Thursday: Rp 31.33 billion for the General Session's proceedings, Rp 13.10 for staff expenses and Rp 4.829 billion for Assembly members' travel and accommodation.

The General Session consists of two phases. The first phase will run from Oct. 1 to Oct. 3 and will see 700 new members sworn in. They will then determine the details and specific dates for the next phase, which will include electing a new president and endorsing the national guidelines.

The current House will officially dissolve on Friday and the members will meet President B.J. Habibie at the State Palace after the House's last plenary session.

"All new members are expected to be in Jakarta on Sept. 27," Afif said, adding that House members would be accommodated in Hotel Indonesia and interest group and regional representatives would stay at Sahid Jaya Hotel.

General Elections Commission secretary Samad Tahir said the commission would cover accommodation expenses from Sept. 27 until Assembly members were sworn in, because technically it was still the seventh phase of the elections.

"After being sworn in, the expenses will be the responsibility of the Assembly's Secretariat General," Samad said.

Separately, the State Administrative Court ordered the commission to postpone its decision to name five organizations as youth or student representatives for the interest group faction in the Assembly.

The Court sided with the Indonesian National Youth Committee, which filed a lawsuit contending the five organizations selected by the commission did not represent youth or student groups.

The five organizations selected by the commission were: the Indonesian Consumers Foundation, the Indonesian Planned Parenthood Association, the Indonesian Financial Executives Association, the Indonesian Women's Association for Justice, and the Alliance of Republic of Indonesia Intellectuals. (05/prb)