TNI drops Constitution article on MPR seats

TNI drops Constitution article on MPR seats

Berni K. Moestafa and Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Indonesian Military (TNI)/National Police faction decided
on Monday to withdraw an article they earlier insisted on adding
to the amendment of the 1945 Constitution, allowing them to
retain their seats in the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR)
until 2009.

The military and the police, nevertheless, still want their
seats at the MPR to be retained until 2009, contending that it
was mandated by MPR Decree No. VII/2000.

A meeting on Monday of the MPR's Ad Hoc Committee I in charge
of constitutional reform talks, agreed to drop the article at the
TNI/National Police faction's request.

"What else is there to say, it was their article after all,"
said Harun Kamil the committee's vice chairman from the function
group faction.

Insp. Gen I Ketut Astawa of the TNI/National Police faction
declined to comment whether the removal of the article would
affect the faction's seats in the MPR.

Asked about the consequences if MPR Decree No. VII is removed
as well, I Ketut said such discussions fell outside the
committee.

"We only discussed whether this (article) should be included
under the supplementary regulation or not, that's it," he said.
"Our reasoning is that the Constitution applies over a long
period."

The article would have been part of the Constitution's
supplementary regulations. It states that the TNI and the police
retain their seats at the MPR as representatives of the function
group.

But the presence of the function group itself is a contentious
issue at the committee, as they are not elected representatives.

The committee will bring the unresolved issue to next August's
MPR Annual Session.

Harun said the TNI/National Police faction decided to withdraw
the article as they viewed its substance to be short-term only
and too technical to be regulated by the Constitution.

"They (TNI/National Police faction) still have MPR Decree No.
VII to regulate their presence in the MPR," he explained.

The 2000 decree allows the military and the police to retain
their seats in the MPR until 2009 at the latest. In return,
military and police members cannot use their voting rights.

So far the TNI has come out against the bill.

Speaking at a hearing with the House of Representatives'
Commission I on defense and foreign affairs, TNI chief Gen.
Endriartono Sutarto repeated his earlier statement that the TNI
members were not ready to vote in 2004.

As compensation, TNI want to be represented at the MPR as
stated by the MPR decree.

"We will discuss again our presence at the MPR, whether we
will retain our seats until 2009 or not," he told the hearing.

At the end of the hearing, the commission supported the TNI's
position not to use their voting rights and grant them seats at
the MPR.

However, TNI's decision to withdraw the supplementary article
and the Commission I's support for the TNI to retain seats at the
MPR come amid suggestions from experts for the MPR to revoke
Decree No.VII/2000.

Revoking the decree would force TNI to leave the legislature
in 2004 and pave the way for the deliberation of a recently
submitted general elections bill.

The government-proposed bill works on the premise that by 2004
the MPR will consist only of elected members. In return for
losing their seats, the military and police may take to the
ballot.