The House of Representatives has shifted the blame over its apparent reluctance to pass a much-anticipated bill on the corruption court, claiming the government is responsible for the lack of action.

The House special committee deliberating the legislation said there were three major obstacles standing in the way of passing the bill.

“First, the government was very late in submitting the draft of the bill. We received it last November, despite the bill itself being drafted in 2006,” committee chairperson Dewi Asmara told a meeting with the National Law Reformation Consortium (KRHN) on Monday.

“Second, we need to design this bill in relation to existing laws to prevent an overlap of clauses. Finally, we have only been able to discuss the bill in scheduled House meetings,” she said.

At the same forum, committee member Gayus Lumbuun said the House would allow the government to issue a regulation-in-lieu-of-law (perppu) on the corruption court should the bill not be passed by the December 2009 deadline.

“We are still seriously working on the bill. There has been some progress, but if we fail to pass the bill into law by the end of our term then I feel we should at least issue a perppu,” he said.

“I personally dislike the fact we may have to resort to such a regulation, but sometimes in necessary evils we can find a solution.”

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono would issue such a regulation should lawmakers fail to meet the deadline, said presidential legal advisor Denny Indrayana in late March.

A consortium consisting of several NGOs, including Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) and the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI), visited the special committee Monday to push for the immediate passage of the bill into law.

However, former YLBHI chairman Bambang Widjojanto said he seriously doubted the House’s commitment to passing the bill soon.

“I do not believe legislators can pass the bill. Recent events have shown that most are too busy with other matters, particularly the presidential election,” he said.

However, another committee member Suripto denied legislators had lost sight of their goals.

“I do admit that legislators, like myself, have many other responsibilities. But with proper time-management, we can always focus

on our legislative jobs as well as our respective parties and the election,” he said.

The Constitutional Court ruled in 2006 that the Corruption Court had violated the Constitution by establishing itself under the 2002 law on the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), instead of the law on judicial powers.

The Court then ruled that a new law on the Corruption Court had to be enacted by December 2009 or the existing court would lose its legal basis.

If this were to occur, the court would be dissolved and forced to hand over cases under its investigation to the district courts.

The bill is one of nearly 40 draft laws the House has deemed a priority to be  completed by the end of its term on Sep. 30 this year. (hdt)

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