Soeharto's offer is the maximum: Analyst

JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto's offer to hold a general election and not run for the presidency in the ensuing General Session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) is the most he could offer to the nation, constitutional law expert Yusril Ihza Mahendra said yesterday.

"This is the highest political compromise, which we hope will spare the nation from further catastrophe. We have to give it the chance to work," Yusril told reporters after taking part in a meeting, along with eight other invited public figures, with the President at Merdeka Palace.

"I sincerely hope that the people will accept what is really the maximum compromise (Soeharto could give)," the University of Indonesia professor said.

The stake, if citizens do not accept it, is a "civil war", he said.

Nurcholish Madjid, a Moslem intellectual at the meeting, disclosed that Yusril played the largest part in drafting and finalizing the text from which Soeharto read during his televised address to the nation after the meeting.

Nurcholish said that the participants virtually dictated, word for word, the text to Soeharto.

"This is a respectable way out. It's not perfect but we hope it's the best."

While the meeting established that Soeharto would stand down, it was not clear how soon this would happen, and neither Yusril nor Nurcholish could give a definitive answer.

"It will be soon. If (the election and the MPR sessions) can be done in six months, then it's six month. But it could be less than that," Yusril said.

Nurcholish said the participants had suggested "six months at the latest, if not sooner" and the President had agreed.

"But, then the question is, is it technically feasible?"

Nurcholish, in a statement later, said he believed an election could be held in seven months, Jan. 10 to be precise, and the MPR could meet the following March to elect the new president.

Yusril said the participants had gone to the meeting with the intention of asking the President to resign immediately.

But, if he did that, then constitutionally, the vice president would take over, and this raised the question of whether the Vice President B.J. Habibie was acceptable to the people.

"There is not a single person who is acceptable to the entire nation at this moment. That's why a general election is proposed instead," Nurcholish said.

Yusril also opposed the idea of convening an extraordinary session of the MPR to force the President to resign, not only because it would take longer, but because it would amount to an "impeachment" process.

"The President will be tried before the MPR," he said.

"We want a peaceful process. We don't want to disgrace anyone. We have to respect the services of this President. We want to solve this problem in a respectable way."

The proposed committee for reform, which will draft the new political laws, will be set up by a presidential decree and will be answerable to the President, Yusril said.

The committee will put forward its work to the House of Representatives which will endorse the new laws.

Nurcholish suggested the people send in the names of 100 people they want to see in the committee.

A team, comprising the nine taking part in the meeting today and four others from among non-Moslems, will select the final 100 to sit in the committee.

"The committee should be formed within three days," he said.

Although details of the new electoral system were not discussed at the meeting, Yusril said he was convinced that it would be a multiparty system, which meant there could be more parties than the existing three.

"Article 28 of the Constitution guarantees people the right to form associations, to establish political parties as long as ideology and objectives do not go against those of the state.

"This means that a communist party is not allowed because its ideology runs counter to that of the state," he said.

Asked whether he thought that the proposals would be accepted by those calling for reforms, Yusril said: "This is something that we have to work on.

"What the President is offering has gone beyond what they are asking.

"In politics, you have to make compromises," he said. "Those demonstrators who refuse to compromise are no different than those people they have been criticizing. They are also guilty of trying to impose their will on others." (prb/emb)