Scholar says MPR must strengthen its power

Scholar says MPR must strengthen its power

YOGYAKARTA (JP): A scientist has proposed that the People's
Consultative Assembly (MPR), the highest law-making body in
Indonesia, expand its power to help promote democracy.

Moersidin Moeklas said the Assembly should have the authority
to distribute power to lower state institutions so that the power
is not concentrated in the hands of the President.

Lower state institutions are not strong enough to assume their
checks-and-balances function, he said.

"The Assembly should give more power to state administrators
such as the Supreme Advisory Council, the House of
Representatives, the Supreme Audit Agency and the Supreme Court
so that each can be strong enough to exercise their power," he
said.

Moersidin, a law teacher at Banda Aceh's Syah Kuala
University, made the remarks while defending his doctoral
dissertation at Gadjah Mada University.

His dissertation discusses the position of the People's
Consultative Assembly with respect to the 1945 Constitution.
Moersidin's performance was rated by the jury as "satisfactory."

"Under the current system, most power goes to the President.
Therefore, it is not surprising for observers to find that all
legislation seems to strengthen the President's position," he
said.

"In other words, the assembly gives the President a dominant
role in state affairs," he added.

Under the current system, the Assembly gives the President the
mandate to carry out state policy guidelines.

"In fact, other institutions which are structurally at the
same level as the President also implement the state policy
guidelines mandated by the Assembly," he said.

He pointed out that the existing laws dealing with the
Assembly's authority rigidly refer to the 1945 Constitution and
are not flexible enough to be adjusted to current demands. In
addition, the laws do not give the Assembly the authority to
distribute power to lower high state institutions.

Moersidin proposed that the new Assembly members selected
after the 1997 general election be allowed to reformulate the
Assembly's roles and authority.

Cynics have branded the Assembly and the lower House of
Representatives as rubber stamp institutions eager to back the
bureaucracy and unable to defend the people's interests.
(har/pan)