DPD, President to consult regularly<\/p>\n
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja and Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post\/Jakarta<\/p>\n
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and leaders of the Regional
\nRepresentatives Council (DPD) agreed on Tuesday to meet every six
\nmonths to discuss the various issues facing the country.<\/p>\n
Talking to the press after a 30-minute meeting at Merdeka
\nPalace, DPD Speaker Ginandjar Kartasasmita said they also agreed
\nthat the ad hoc committees of the council and Cabinet members
\nwould meet regularly.<\/p>\n
\"We agreed to cooperate and have regular meetings between
\nministers and DPD ad hoc committees, which are similar to
\ncommissions of the House of Representatives (DPR),\" he said.<\/p>\n
During the meeting, Ginandjar was accompanied by DPD deputy
\nspeakers La Ode Ida and Erman Gusman.<\/p>\n
He said the first meeting between the ad hoc committees and
\nCabinet members -- the Minister of Home Affairs, Minister of
\nFinance and Minister of National Education -- would be held
\nwithin the next two days.<\/p>\n
\"We will speak with the home minister on a government
\nregulation on direct election of regional heads, as well as the
\nissue of provincial divisions,\" Ginandjar said.<\/p>\n
According to Ginandjar, immediate issues included the draft
\n2005 state budget, which is still being deliberated by the House,
\nand a revision to the 2003 state budget.<\/p>\n
\"We would also like to learn about the 100-day program from
\nthe government directly, so that we can inform the people and, if
\nthe people have further aspirations, we can convey them
\nimmediately to the government,\" Ginandjar said.<\/p>\n
Other issues needing discussion is teachers' welfare and the
\nnational curriculum.<\/p>\n
\"These meetings are scheduled to take place in the next two
\ndays, as DPD members will visit provinces across the country from
\nNov. 5 to Nov. 23,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The DPD comprises 128 members representing all 32 provinces of
\nthe country, who were directly elected in the April 5 legislative
\nelection.<\/p>\n
The council's main duties include providing input in the
\ndeliberation of bills, especially those that have a direct
\nimplication on regions.<\/p>\n
The DPD is currently seeking to revise the amended 1945
\nConstitution to allow them to stand on an equal footing with the
\nHouse of Representatives, with which it is to meet annually as
\nthe People's Consultative Assembly.<\/p>\n
During the meeting, Ginandjar also requested that the
\nPresident postpone installing the new State Audit Agency (BPK)
\nchairman, Anwar Nasution, as his appointment needed to be
\nreviewed by the Constitutional Court to determine its
\nlegitimacy.<\/p>\n
Nasution was appointed BPK chairman by former president
\nMegawati Soekarnoputri in her final days in office with House
\napproval, although the selection of BPK members had been ongoing
\nsince June.<\/p>\n
The DPD, on the other hand, was set up only on Oct. 1.<\/p>\n
According to the amended Constitution, the appointment of a
\nBPK chairman also required consultation with the DPD.<\/p>\n
\"The President has agreed to postpone the inauguration and
\nwait for the Constitutional Court's decision, as the DPD will
\nrequest its expertise on this issue,\" Ginandjar said.<\/p>",
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