Jenny Grant, Jakarta – Indonesia's Golkar party says it will trust President Suharto with sweeping new special powers - but was at a loss to describe what they will entail.

"We will give the powers and it means we trust the President to report it to Parliament," senior Golkar member Marwah Daud Ibrahim said yesterday.

The armed forces and Golkar are seeking to introduce broad presidential powers allowing Mr Suharto to act against any group or individual threatening the state.

But the Golkar members were unable to explain exactly what the special powers were.

"They are special powers and no one knows what kind of powers will be given, but they will be used during any time they are needed," Ms Ibrahim said.

Mr Suharto, 76, last year suggested a 1966 decree be revived to give him more power to ensure national security.

A provisional parliament gave the powers to Mr Suharto to restore order after a failed coup in 1965.

Details of the powers are unclear, but human rights activists say they will give the President the authority to declare a state of emergency, silence political opponents and arrest individuals at whim.

Golkar representatives said the planned "umbrella" powers would be in line with the constitution and existing laws.

The new powers are expected to be passed by the Peoples' Consultative Assembly next week.

"We want to give the President the right to decide on our behalf," said Ms Ibrahim.

Mr Suharto is expected to be appointed to a seventh term on Tuesday.

[During a press meeting with four Golkar representatives, a March 7 report in Kompas, described them as having to "resort to text books and hurried huddles before responding to questions from a gallery of mostly foreign journalists." It went on to say that when questioned about the nature of the decree, one of the representatives, Marwah Daud, said "It's a special power, but nobody knows what kind of power this is." Her response was met with a roomful of laughter - James Balowski.]