Special session still offers compromise

JAKARTA (JP): The working committee of the People's Consultative Assembly finally dropped on Tuesday the draft of conditional acceptance of President Abdurrahman Wahid's accountability statement, but have kept the possibility of a compromise wide open.

The agreement was reached by informal talks among the Assembly factions. Unusually, the decision was swiftly approved by Abdurrahman's National Awakening Party (PKB) faction.

"The ad hoc committee I only brought up two drafts on the acceptance and rejection of the President's accountability speech, and dismissed the proposal of conditional acceptance," Assembly Speaker Amien Rais said at the committee's closing session.

"All notes and considerations from the National Awakening Party (PKB) over the conditional acceptance draft will be reported to the Assembly at the coming special session."

The ad hoc committee II, meanwhile, agreed on the draft of the appointment of Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri as the new president and the draft of the appointment of a new vice president.

The working committee also approved drafts from the special ad hoc committee deliberating schedule and the time frame of the special session, but has left the possibility of changing the timetable of the special session open.

A working committee member from PKB, Ali Masykur Moesa, said that there is the possibility of bringing forward the conditional acceptance draft at the special session, which is scheduled to commence on Aug. 1.

"All factions unanimously agreed that our consideration to bring up the conditional acceptance may be needed at the coming special session," Ali said after the plenary session.

The Assembly has asked the President to account for his erratic leadership and alleged involvement in two financial scandals.

This conditional acceptance to the President's accountability was proposed by the PKB faction in a bid to reach political compromise in the special session.

Amien looked happy with the plenary session, calling it the most democratic one yet.

"Actually, we could start the special session tomorrow, but we want to play it by the book. So, let the days go by until Aug. 1 to begin the session," Amien said.

At the closing of the session, one of the working committee members asked about the possibility of expediting the special session. Amien, while smiling, responded: "If you want to hasten the special session, why don't you just do it yourself?"

However, there have been slight mishaps over the financial aspects of the special session, as the Assembly has yet to receive the funds needed to convene the special session.

However, chairman of House Commission IX for finance Benny Pasaribu played down the problem saying that it was merely an administrative matter now that the government had approved the funding of the special session, which is estimated at Rp 20.4 billion.

Meanwhile, the President's spokesman, Adhie Massardi, said that the President has set the date for a meeting with leaders of political parties on July 8, but has yet to decide the venue.

Participants of the meeting will discuss how to solve the country's problems and ease the political tension.

Abdurrahman has threatened on several occasions to declare a state of emergency if his political foes keep demanding that he account for his administration's performance at the special session. Declaring a state of emergency will enable him to dissolve the House of Representatives, whose members make up most of the Assembly.

The President lashed out on Monday at political parties that support the special session for closing the door on compromise. (dja/prb)