Scholars, parties raise last-minute issues

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)