'Unsatisfactory' House into recess

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Sat, 04/12/2008 11:17 AM  |  National

 

The House of Representatives went into recess Friday hounded by its failure to meet its legislation target and hounded by corruption scandals.

House Speaker Agung Laksono said the legislative body had passed 104 out of 284 bills listed on the national legislation program for 2004 to 2009.

"This result is worrisome. We have tried to clear the obstacles, but the results are not that satisfactory," Agung said after a plenary session Thursday.

Lawmakers will return from recess May 11.

The problems facing the House were underlined when Agung canceled a speech he had prepared for Thursday when only about 100 lawmakers turned up for the final plenary session before the recess.

Agung said the House missed its legislation target because of the lengthy deliberations required for many of the bills, including the election bill which was passed March 3 after three months of often acrimonious debate.

Bivitri Susanti, a senior researcher with the Center for Indonesian Law and Policy Studies (PSHK), said the House fared poorly not only in terms of quantity, but also quality, with the deliberation of bills often marked by back-room deals.

"Many of the final meetings occurred outside the House, including at the office of Vice President Jusuf Kalla. This contradicts the spirit of democracy and transparency," Bivitri said.

She said the House also failed to produce quality bills, in part because lawmakers sought too many compromises.

"The House, for example, endorsed a flawed election bill, which allows political party members to run for Regional Representatives Council seats," she said.

The council and four non-governmental organizations on Thursday filed for a judicial review of the election law, which they said violated the Constitution.

Sulastio of the Indonesian Parliamentary Center criticized the House for selecting public officials through mechanisms that were immune to public scrutiny.

"Political interests clearly play a significant role in the selection process," said Sulastio.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was forced to name a new candidate for Bank Indonesia governor after the House rejected his first two nominees.

Sulastio also criticized the House's "weak" internal controls, which he said left the institution and lawmakers open to corruption.

He pointed to Wednesday's arrest of United Development Party lawmaker Al Amin Nasution for allegedly accepting a bribe as proof.

A number of current and former lawmakers admitted to receiving money from now jailed former fisheries minister Rochmin Dahuri in 2004, but escaped prosecution.

A Golkar legislator and former lawmaker have undergone questioning by the Corruption Eradication Commission in connection with the central bank's transfer of money to several members of the House finance commission in 2004.

Chairman of the Setara Institute, a corruption watchdog, Hendardi, said the arrest of Amin was evidence of the "culture of corruption" that has taken root in the House.

He said more lawmakers would face prosecution if more investigations into corruption at the body were launched. (alf)

Legislation passed from January to April: 1. Legislative election bill
2. Use of chemicals and prohibition of chemicals for weapons bill
3. Information and electronic transaction bill
4. Revision of law on regional administrations
5. Haj management bill
6. Freedom of public information bill
7. Ratification of the treaty on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters
8. Shipping bill
9. Garbage management bill
10. Islamic bond bill
11. Revision of 2008 state budget

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