Taking lobbying to new heights

JAKARTA (JP): Lobbying skills are part of any good politician's repertoire, but members of the National Awakening Party (PKB) faction are leaving nothing to chance in getting their message across.

They invited two constitutional law experts and journalists to their briefing on Sunday in a bid to win public support for the rejection of an Assembly decree on the task-sharing arrangement between President Abdurrahman Wahid and Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri.

Constitutional law experts Bagir Manan and Muhammad Mahfud were brought before the press gallery as "expert witnesses" to attest that issuing such a decree would be unconstitutional.

"We have to make people see that such a decree is unconstitutional and the two experts can explain that," PKB's Tari Siwi Utami said.

PKB has threatened to walk out if other factions push through a decree on the presidential task-sharing.(dja)