Indonesia's Megawati to Give Progress Report
The 10-day Meeting of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) is set to open on August 1 with Megawati Sukarnoputri's progress report on her rule.
Megawati marked one year in office on Tuesday, drawing criticism for her passive leadership. on Thursday, she defended her record, saying the country's security and economy had improved, Reuters reported.
"The presidential report will be delivered on the first day (of the session)," said Ali Hardi Kiaidemak from the United Development Party of Vice President Hamzah Haz.
Megawati, who was elected indirectly, is expected to speak about the world's most populous Muslim country's economy, as well as, separatist moves by rebels.
The direct election of the country's president at the next poll in 2004 has become a sensitive issue, especially after Megawati recently questioned whether Indonesians were mature enough to choose their leader at the ballot box.
Officials from her Indonesian Democratic Party-struggle have since indicated Megawati has retreated from that stance.
The 700-member MPR agreed in principle last year to strip the assembly of its right to elect the president and vice president, giving that job to the Indonesian public for the first time.
But they were unable to agree on the mechanism for the vote should no presidential and vice presidential pair win an absolute majority.
The debate is expected to continue as they try to decide on whether the voters should make the final decision or whether it should be left up to legislators.
Meanwhile, conservative Muslim legislators were considering, as they have in recent years, whether to submit proposed changes to the constitution that would recognize the implementation of Islamic Sharia law in Indonesia.
That effort failed to attract much support in the past and is unlikely to do so this year from the mainly secular body.
Some 85 percent of Indonesia's 210 million people are Muslim, but the vast majority are moderates.