Team to discuss request for MPR special session

Team to discuss request for MPR special session

JAKARTA (JP): The plenary session of the People's Consultative
Assembly's working committee was postponed on Monday after a
group of legislators presented two letters, one of them demanding
that the Assembly provide the possibility of turning the incoming
Annual Session into a special session.

Assembly Speaker Amien Rais, who presided over the session,
proposed that it should be delayed until Wednesday to give the
Assembly's Ad Hoc II Committee for Non-Constitutional Amendment
time to discuss the letters.

"It's just a technical matter. We hope the ad hoc committee
would be ready on Wednesday," Amien, who is chairman of the
National Mandate Party, said before banging his gavel to close
the session.

He said that the letters were each signed by 27 legislators
and 28 legislators who are members of the Ad Hoc II Committee.

He did not give further details about the letters.

Separately, the Ad Hoc II Committee chairman Rambe
Kamarulzaman admitted that the letter that was signed by 28
legislators proposed the change to the Assembly's current
internal ruling.

"The legislators who signed the letter came from various
factions, except the National Awakening Party (PKB)," Rambe of
Golkar Party told reporters after the session.

He said the letter suggested that the Assembly's Annual
Session should not only listen to the President's progress
report, as stated at the MPR internal ruling article 49, but also
evaluate the report.

He said the legislators also proposed that the Assembly's
Annual Session could recommend that the Assembly hold the special
session.

The Assembly's internal ruling article 50 does not stipulate
whether the annual session could recommend a special session or
not.

However, Rambe urged the public not to see the letter as an
effort to topple President Abdurrahman Wahid.

"People should not worry about it. It's just an effort to make
the internal regulation clearer," he contended.

PKB's legislator Syafrin Romas regretted the move by Rambe and
his company, since the matter had never been discussed during the
previous Ad Hoc II Committee's meetings.

"The letter was mainly proposed by Golkar legislators to
topple the government," Syafrin, who is a member of the
committee, told reporters.

He said according to the regulation, a special session should
only be demanded by the House of Representatives after it gives
the President a memorandum three times.

"So, its not the Assembly's duty to recommend the special
session," he remarked.

He claimed that the legislators proposed the letter based only
on the minimum requirement of 25 signatories.

He said the letter, if it was accepted, could only be applied
in next year's General Session since it has never been discussed
in the earlier meetings.

Earlier in the day, Amien reiterated that there will be no
special session to topple Abdurrahman during the Annual Session
which will be held between Aug. 7 and Aug. 18. (jun)