House told to hold tongue on defense pact

The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Tue, 06/26/2007 10:10 AM

Ridwan Max Sijabat, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The government has asked the House of Representatives to hold off judging the recently signed Defense Cooperation Agreement (DCA) with Singapore.

Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda said Monday any decision to reject or support the agreement, which was signed in Bali last April along with an extradition deal, should be made in a House plenary session.

""How can the House reject the defense cooperation agreement if we (government) have yet to submit it to the House? Any rejection or support for it should only be made during a joint deliberation hearing between the House and the government,"" Hassan said during a break in a hearing with the House's defense and foreign affairs commission.

Many lawmakers have already come out with their opposition to the agreement, promising to reject the deal when it comes before the House.

Hassan said despite the opposition from individual lawmakers and some members of the public, the government would submit both the defense and extradition agreement to the House for ratification.

The minister also dismissed speculation the defense agreement would be implemented even if the House failed to ratify the pact.

""The Indonesian legal system requires any such agreement first be ratified by the House prior to being implemented.""

Several legislators, during Monday's hearing, demanded the government annul the defense pact.

Lawmakers Permadi, Andreas Pareira and Sidharto Danusubroto, all from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), said their faction had no problems with the extradition treaty, but opposed the defense agreement.

They said the defense pact violated Indonesia's sovereignty and benefited only Singapore.

""It would be better for the government to annul the defense cooperation agreement rather than submitting it to the House, which will certainly refuse to ratify it,"" Andreas said.

Djoko Susilo and Abdillah Toha of the National Mandate Party (PAN) said their faction would not ratify the defense pact because it failed to benefit the country's national interests.

The two also accused the government of not being transparent in negotiating the deal.

""Our faction is very disappointed with the government, which from the beginning was not transparent about the substance of the pact. After signing it, without prior consultation with the House, the government also signed its operational arrangements without the House's knowledge,"" Abdillah said.

Instead of submitting the defense pact to the House, the government should submit the ASEAN Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA) and the ILO Convention on the Protection of Migrant Workers and their Families, to help Indonesia recover stolen assets and protect its migrant workers, he said.

""The ASEAN MLA has not been ratified while the ILO convention, adopted in 1990, has not been ratified for some unknown reason, even though thousands of Indonesian workers are facing deportation from Saudi Arabia, Malaysia and the United States.""

Yuddhy Chrisnandi of the Golkar Party said the defense agreement violated the 1945 Constitution and the 2004 law on international treaties, which emphasizes national interests.

""The DPR (House) will be unable to ratify the DCA unless it identifies the national interests (it advances),"" he said.

Commission deputy chairman Arief Mudatsir Mandan of the United Development Party (PPP) said his faction had no reason to accept the DCA, and that it had sent an official letter notifying the House leadership it would not ratify the agreement.

The defense and extradition agreements are expected to win political support from President Yudhoyono's Democratic Party faction, the Prosperous Peace Party (PDS) faction and segments of the Golkar Party faction.

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