House returns regulation annulment bill to President

The House of Representatives decided Tuesday to return the bill on the annulment of a regulation-in-lieu of law on the financial safety net to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

"The President used an incorrect reference in the bill. The President referred to a plenary session dated Sept. 30, 2009, whereas there was no discussion about the financial safety net regulation on that date," House Speaker Marzuki Alie from the Democratic Party said.

A legislator from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), Panda Nababan, said the mistake was shameful.

"The President has made similar mistakes on numerous occasions in the past. I want to stress that this should be the last time," he said.

Democratic Party's Ichsanul Kosasih said the House should set a firm deadline for the President to amend the reference in the bill.

The House was locked in endless debate on Tuesday morning on whether the House should deliberate the bill that would annul the regulation.

Legislators opposing the deliberation of the bill argued that debating the bill would mean that the House would recognize the legality of the regulation that gave legal impunity to state officials making decisions during a crisis, and therefore would shoot down the House's own inquiry into the Bank Century bailout.