Special session still offers compromise
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)