Use MPR funds to feed the poor: Expert

JAKARTA (JP): Constitutional law expert Harun Alrasid said it would be a waste of billions of rupiah to hold a special session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) this November only to prepare for an early general election next year.

He said the funds, estimated at Rp 10 billion for the MPR session and Rp 1.1 trillion for the general election, could be put to better use alleviating people's suffering during the economic crisis.

"Most people don't care about politics. They are more concerned about their daily needs," he said. "It is more urgent for us to defuse the economic crisis rather than wasting time and money for the MPR session, which has an unclear and uncertain agenda."

He said he did not see any urgency for the session and the early general election since "Habibie's government is constitutionally valid and he can run his government until 2003."

Harun, a professor at the University of Indonesia's law school, described the planned session as a futile exercise because the MPR members were selected during the New Order regime under former president Soeharto.

If the session was planned only to review the MPR decrees on Soeharto's reappointment as president and on general elections, he said, then Habibie could use yet another MPR decree -- which grants a president extraordinary power -- to make necessary decisions and policies, including on elections.

"To me, it would be too hasty to hold a general election in May 1999 because we have yet to have new political laws, election laws... Besides, new parties would not be ready, politically and financially, to participate in the abrupt election."

In the past, it has taken the government five years to produce political laws and educate the public about them.

The government recently has produced three draft laws on political parties, general elections and functions of House of Representatives/MPR. The bills will soon be submitted to the House for deliberation.

Harun said time was too limited for the government to "socialize them".

The government plans to hold an MPR special session Nov. 10, 1998 and an early election in May 1999 to create a new government as the country enters the 21st century.

Yusril Ihza Mahendra, also a professor of constitutional law at the University of Indonesia, said he supported the plan for the MPR special session and early general elections.

The two are needed to help the nation pull itself out of its political crisis, he said.

"The MPR should hold a special session to renew the decree on the general election."

However, he added, there was no need to review the MPR decree on Soeharto's reappointment as president since he had already been replaced by Habibie.

He said an early election was needed to gauge whether people really wanted one, and whether they had any confidence in the current government. (rms)