Soeharto calls for effective policy guidelines

JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto called on the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) yesterday to draw up more effective State Policy Guidelines to enable the nation to anticipate challenges and opportunities in the 21st century.

The President said the Assembly had to learn from the shocking experiences of the nation's ongoing currency crisis and forest fires caused by the prolonged dry season.

As the country's most supreme body which represents people's sovereignty, the Assembly must be able to determine the direction of the nation for the next five years, he said.

"We realize the success or failure of development will have its own consequences... failure does not only cause fear in people but can threaten the nation's existence as well," Soeharto said when opening the Armed Forces veterans organization's (Pepabri) congress at Taman Mini Indonesia Indah, East Jakarta.

The 1,000-strong MPR was inducted Oct. 1. It will hold its general assembly in March to elect a new president and vice president and to endorse the State Policy Guidelines.

After a week of delays and long debates, the United Development Party and the tiny Indonesian Democratic Party agreed last week to use the dominant Golkar's draft as an outline for drawing up the guidelines.

"In general, it can be said that we've been able to achieve development targets as prescribed by the MPR (in 1993)," Soeharto said.

Soeharto will present his accountability to MPR in March, but not to the same members who elected him in 1993. MPR members for the 1992/1997 period finished their term on Sept. 30.

Soeharto is widely expected to be reelected for a seventh consecutive term in March, although he has not clearly expressed his readiness to lead the nation into the 21st century.

"We all pray for your health to enable you to lead the nation toward a just and prosperous society," Pepabri chairman Soesilo Soedarman said in a written report to the President.

Gen. (ret) Soesilo, also coordinating minister for political affairs and security, could not attend yesterday's opening ceremony because he was hospitalized at Harapan Kita Hospital. His report was read out by his deputy, Arief Riyadi.

The three-day conference is being attended by 800 participants. They are expected to elect a new chairman to replace Soesilo. (prb)