Scholars, parties raise last-minute issues

JAKARTA (JP): Scholars and party leaders on Monday raised last minute demands which they called on to be included in the agenda for the Special Session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), which begins here on Tuesday.

Sixteen lecturers grouped in the All-Indonesia Communication Forum of Lecturers (Fajar) told the regional representatives faction that they would call for a "national strike" if the session failed to heed the people's aspirations.

It was the second call for a national strike following a similar one made at a seminar on Friday. The seminar included alumni, students and retired generals belonging to the National Front opposition group. Dadan U.D. from Trisakti University said Monday the call for a strike "concerns morality."

"Members of the House of Representatives have a moral obligation to avoid more casualties in the drive for reform. They should remember the students who were shot dead in May," Dadan said, adding: "If more people die in violent clashes it will be because of their unwillingness to take heed of people's wishes."

Many have opposed some draft decrees prepared for the session, such as the decree on elections, which guarantees the Armed Forces (ABRI) seats in the country's two legislative bodies.

Dadan blamed the death of four shot students at a peaceful rally on May 12 on the March General Session's failure to heed people's aspirations." The Assembly reinstalled Soeharto as president for a seventh consecutive term, despite widespread opposition voiced mainly by students.

The lecturers also urged the session to call Soeharto to account for his time in office between March 11, when he was reappointed, up to his resignation. A draft decree on the subject was put forward by the United Development Party faction (PPP), the government-sanctioned faction of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) and the regional representatives, but the Golkar and military factions rejected it.

Antara quoted Yusuf Kalla of the regional representatives as saying that his faction would try to respond to public demands and insert provisions for Soeharto's accountability into other draft decrees, for example the decree on clean governance.

Lecturers from the University of Indonesia urged separately that all House members should be elected and not appointed directly or provided with allotted seats, as in the case of the military faction.

Meanwhile Amien Rais, the chairman of the National Mandate Party, said the session must ensure that "all decisions are beneficial to the public," adding that legislators should not seek merely to perpetuate the status quo. He warned the Assembly's 1,000 members not to abuse the chance the public has given them to set the country to rights.

Chairman of the National Labor Party Tohap Simanungkalit, who is also an Indonesian Prosperous Labor Union (SBSI) executive, said the session was a "maximum compromise" to the "remainder of the old regime." If the session failed to break the status quo, he said, "the resulting people's power movement will far surpass the one which led to Soeharto's resignation."

One legislator lauded for his response to the public's aspirations was Yogyakarta Governor Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X, who on Saturday made an impromptu visit to a student camp set up as a forum to watch over the session. He listened to the students wishes before leaving for Jakarta. (anr/23)