Soeharto not invited to MPR special session

JAKARTA (JP): Former president Soeharto will not be invited to the attend the special session of the People Consultative Assembly (MPR) scheduled for Nov. 10 to Nov. 13, an official told a media briefing on Thursday.

"We're only inviting the representatives and, of course, the current president (B.J. Habibie) for the opening ceremony," according to Afif Ma'roef, the secretary-general of the House of Representatives/People's Consultative Assembly (DPR/MPR).

"Thus far no invitation has been sent to Pak Harto so I believe he will not be invited. His name was never discussed in the (preparation) meetings either," Afif said, adding that former vice president Try Sutrisno was not included on the invitation list either.

Some 1,800 invitations have been prepared for the DPR/MPR members and other invitees.

The event has been budgeted to cost the state Rp 20 billion (US$2.68 million). Preliminary meetings of the Working Committee of the People's Consultative Assembly (BP-MPR), in charge of preparing materials for the special session, however, have already cost Rp 6.62 billion.

All MPR members are expected to gather here by Nov. 7. Delegates of the Golkar faction will stay at Hotel Mulia Senayan, while representatives of the other four factions (the Indonesian Democratic Party, United Development Party, Armed Forces and Regional Representatives) will stay at Jakarta Hilton International.

The standard rate at the Mulia is Rp 650,000 per night, while the Hilton's standard rate is Rp 500,000. These prices do not include the 21 percent tax and service charge.

Security during the session will be the collective responsibility of the Presidential Security Guards, Jakarta Military Command, Jakarta Police and other related parties.

A media center will be set up on the second floor of the Ganagraha building in the Assembly compound. "Communication facilities will be provided by PT Pos Indonesia and PT Telkom," he added.

National Mandate Party leader Amien Rais made on Thursday a fresh call on the MPR Working Committee to heed the aspirations of political parties excluded from the upcoming special session.

Amien suggested that the Committee initiate hearings with new political parties to absorb their aspirations.

"People like me, chairwoman of the splintered PDI (Indonesian Democratic Party) Megawati Soekarnoputri, and chairman of the Nahdlatul Ulama Moslem Organization Abdurrahman Wahid should be invited to the Assembly to give our opinions and inputs to the special session," he said.

Ichlasul Amal, the rector of Yogyakarta's Gadjah Mada University, called on all political forces and the public to mark the special session by campaigning for a clean general election.

"The session should be seen as a venue where (political forces) can consolidate, and establish the formal legal foundation for the general election," he said.

"Even if the special session is disrupted, the election must still proceed," he said. (edt/imn/44)