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Legislators Want to Amend Indonesian Constitution
JAKARTA, Aug 23 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri's proposal for the setting up of an independent commission to review Indonesia's constitution met with positive responses Thursday.
People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Speaker Amien Rais responded positively to the proposal. He said the MPR would establish an independent commission to amend the 1945 Constitution, but asserted that the commission must be under the auspices of the Assembly.
He said the authority to amend the Constitution lies in the hands of the Assembly, not the executive body, and therefore, the Assembly must establish the commission.
The Assembly already has a 50-member working committee in charge of amending the Constitution and Rais said that the proposed commission should be discussed in detail at the Assembly's annual session scheduled for November 1, 2001.
"Before being brought to the annual session, the working committee will lobby all factions in the Assembly to receive input on how the commission would be established and how the amendment should be conducted," he said.
Amien said that he personally wanted the Assembly to recruit experts from various disciplines and informal leaders instead of party figures to fill the commission in order to maintain its independence.
"We have constitutional law experts, religious figures, sociologists, economists and informal leaders who understand the founding fathers' thoughts and have a good vision of Indonesia. They should be recruited in the commission," he said.
Observers in Jakarta showed great enthusiasm over the idea that the constitution could be amended. The constitution is called the Pancasila and it has not been reviewed since 1945.
An observer in Jakarta said the constitution has in the past been abused by dictators - namely General Suharto and President Ahmad Sukarno) - who managed to extend the duration and scope of their exclusive rule.
He added that this was done despite the fact that the document originally intended to allow them only temporary powers.
The new regime in Indonesia said it wanted to amend the constitution to take note of people's views. The government also said the draft amendment should be done comprehensively and professionally.
Former Indonesian president Abdurrahman Wahid also proposed a similar commission, but Rais was unresponsive to the proposal at that time, sources said.
Sukarnoputri, in her recent state-of-the-nation address, endorsed the idea to set up a special commission to draft a new constitution.
The President, however, suggested that important values from the old 1945 Constitution, which are included in its Preamble, should be included in the new document.
An editor in Jakarta said the draft should be written with such transparency that no party or politicians ever has an opportunity to abuse it.
The people of Indonesia, another editor said Thursday, would not allow another Suharto to command the country and destroy the hopes of the nation.
He said that 32 years of dictatorship was enough, and had done enough damage to Indonesia, adding that Suharto's regime and the Golkar party abused the Pancasila in order to remain in power.
Indonesians are calling for amendments that would not allow other leaders to "toy with the sacred document" and that the new constitution should allow direct election of the president.
Currently, the president is elected through a vote in the MPR. Indonesians of all classes believes this is an outdated solution, and that their president should be given the chance to go through a popular vote.
Several political factions, news editors and TV programs aired in Indonesia supporting the idea of amending of the constitution. They also support the election of the president and the vice president through national polls.
Political parties are also calling for the MPR not to waste time on technical and procedural matters related to the amendments.
The MPR has also been told to speed up reviewing the Pancasila and put the amendments to a vote. The assembly would then approve or reject the draft, and if rejected, the entire process should begin again, or a referendum organized.
Fears of dictatorship have long gripped Indonesians, who say they do not want to be ruled by heartless tyrants, or experience a constitutional crisis.
"Indonesians does not want the 'guided' democracy of Sukarno, nor the Pancasila democracy of Suharto.
"What they want is plain clear democracy guarded by the MPR," an observer told IslamOnline.
With additional reporting by Kazi Mahmood
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