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House misses main tasks amid infighting
The Houseâs six-week-long fourth sitting came to end on Tuesday, no laws were endorsed as legislators and factions were engaged in political gamesmanship
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he House's six-week-long fourth sitting came to end on Tuesday, no laws were endorsed as legislators and factions were engaged in political gamesmanship.
During the short sitting period, the House paid more attention to the constituency funds proposal and the proposed revision of the 2015 Local Election Law than deliberating scheduled bills.
Despite objections from the public and the government, the House insisted on proposing the granting of Rp 20 billion (US$1.5 million) annually to each lawmaker to develop their own electoral district. House factions grouped in the Red and White Coalition also fought for the election law revision to allow Golkar and the United Development Party to contest the upcoming simultaneous local elections scheduled for Dec. 9.
Deputy House Speaker Fadli Zon admitted that the fourth sitting had as its main agenda the deliberation of a number of draft laws but their endorsement would be conducted in the next sitting.
'The drafting of bills and their deliberation should be commenced intensively in the fifth sitting,' he said as quoted by kompas.com.
He said the House was still preparing 10 draft laws and the government had submitted three draft laws for immediate deliberation.
The House will take a recess until Aug. 13. The fifth sitting will begin on Aug. 14 and its opening will be marked by the President's speech before the House's plenary session on the outline of the 2016 draft state budget. (rms)(++++)
