Page 168 - BUKU A CENTURY OF PARLIAMENTARY LIFE IN INDONESIA

THE NEW FACE OF INDONESIAN PARLIAMENT
(1959-1966)

to carry out its duty to draft a new constitution. But then on 22 April 1959,
President Soekarno on behalf of the government before the Constitu-
tional Assembly, in the context of implementing Guided Democracy, sug-
gested that the Constitutional Assembly stipulate the 1945 Constitution
as the permanent constitution of the Republic of Indonesia.

Subsequently, the Constitutional Assembly held a vote at the recom-
mendation of the President/government for three times, but to no avail.
Political history continued and culminated with the President issuing a
decree with his announcement on 5 July 1959 on a Sunday afternoon at
17.00 Western Indonesia Time, at the same time changing the status of
the country with the statement “Returning to the 1945 Constitution”, with
all the risks.

dpr.go.id 161