Scholars oppose amending decree on triumvirate system

YOGYAKARTA (JP): Noted political scientists condemned on Wednesday a planned amendment to a 1973 People's Consultative Assembly decree, which would allow top legislative officials to assume executive duties if both the president and vice president were incapacitated.

Cornelis Lay and Riswandha Imawan, both lecturers at the Gadjah Mada University's School of Social and Political Sciences, termed it "strange in politics and politically motivated".

The two suspected the plan was initiated by certain political groups that were dissatisfied with the results of last year's general election and the Assembly's general session which elected President Abdurrahman Wahid and Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri in October.

Cornelis said the maneuver targeted Megawati.

"That (proposal) doesn't make sense. Just think if the House of Representatives' speaker holds the executive authority, then who will control the government?" Cornelis said.

The 1973 decree states that a triumvirate of the minister of home affairs, minister of foreign affairs and the Indonesian Military chief will take over the executive duties in the unique circumstances of both the president and vice president being unable to carry out their state duties.

Under the Constitution, the vice president would automatically take over from the president should the latter be incapacitated. However, there is no designated successor if the vice president also is unable to assume the presidential powers.

Cornelis said the proposed amendment would only harm the democratic principle of trias-politica, or division of power.

Riswandha concurred, saying the proposal would disrupt the mechanism of checks and balances.

"It's the House's duty to supervise the executive. I just don't understand how they can submit such a proposal."

Riswandha speculated that the political alliance among Muslim- oriented political parties, known as the "axis force", was behind the proposal.

"They have gone too far because by submitting such a proposal, which assumes that both President Abdurrahman Wahid and Vice President Megawati will experience something that may prevent them from performing their duties."

Riswandha said neither the House speaker nor Assembly speaker had the right to perform duties of the executive under any conditions.

He insisted that the terms stipulated in the 1973 Assembly decree were politically just. (44)