Soeharto not invited to MPR special session

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)