Stop polemic on review to constitution: Megawati

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

President Megawati Soekarnoputri, who is also chairwoman of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), has instructed her party executives to stop arguing over the amendment to the 1945 Constitution.

"The chairwoman instructed us to halt the polemic over the amendment pending the party's meeting on May 13-14," PDI Perjuangan deputy secretary general Pramono Anung said at a media briefing on Tuesday after the party's weekly meeting.

The meeting, which will take place before the House of Representatives resumes its sitting, will be attended by all party executives, PDI Perjuangan's faction at the House, as well as the Advisory Board (Deperpu).

"PDI Perjuangan will determine its stance (on the amendment) at this meeting," Pramono said.

Megawati's comment touches on two camps within PDI Perjuangan, namely the one that wishes to halt the amendment process, represented by the senior advisory board (Deperpu), and Jacob Tobing's group, which opposes it.

According to Deperpu, the amendment had gone too far as it had begun to bring about basic changes to the Constitution.

PDI Perjuangan had earlier said that it had no objection to the amendment process as long as the Constitution preamble, Article 29 on religion and the national ideology, Pancasila, were left untouched.

They would also only agree to an amendment that was aimed at strengthening the Constitution, instead of replacing it completely with a new one.

However, this is not the official stance of the party.

The amendment process is currently under way at the House, despite the controversy.

People's Consultative Assembly Speaker Amien Rais has suggested the establishment of a transitional constitution, pending the amendment of the 1945 Constitution.

The idea was rejected by PDI Perjuangan on the grounds that the state did not recognize such a mechanism.

"It would be difficult to implement," Pramono said.