DPR needs to shed its poor image: PPP<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The United Development Party (PPP) said
\nyesterday that the House of Representatives (DPR) should shed its
\nimage as a rubber stamp institution.<\/p>\n
PPP legislators said the House should amend its notoriously
\ncomplicated internal laws to allow it greater independence to
\nperform its job as the people's representative body rather than
\njust legalize the government's wishes.<\/p>\n
\"Now that the government tolerates greater political openness,
\nDPR should be given more teeth,\" said Hamzah Haz, chief of the
\nPPP faction in the legislative body.<\/p>\n
The demand to reform the House was the latest maneuver by the
\nMoslem-oriented party to campaign its programs to win sympathy
\nfrom potential voters in the 1997 general election.<\/p>\n
Along with the minority Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI), it
\npushed for the same proposal last year when the People's
\nConsultative Assembly (MPR) gathered for its five-yearly sessions
\nto review political laws.<\/p>\n
But it was predictably shot down by the dominant government-
\nbacked Golkar political grouping and the powerful Armed Forces
\n(ABRI), which reserves 100 seats in the House.<\/p>\n
Hamzah said the House's internal law is no longer suitable
\nbecause it was made at a time when the national stability was
\nIndonesia's top priority.<\/p>\n
\"Now that Indonesia is vigorously pursuing democracy, the
\nHouse laws should be amended to allow the House to function as
\nthe people expect,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The party rejects that the House's present internal rules must
\nbe accepted so as not to undermine national stability.<\/p>\n
One of the most well-known complexities in the law is the
\nrequirement for a faction to have the support from the other
\nfactions if it wants to pass or amend a bill.<\/p>\n
Scare tactics<\/p>\n
The House leadership's power to dismiss a legislator is also
\nwidely seen as scare tactics to stop House members criticizing
\nthe bureaucracy and defending the oppressed.<\/p>\n
Hamzah said that the DPR law made political factions in the
\nlegislative body face the fast changing times with a conservative
\nattitude.<\/p>\n
Efforts to reform the rules, he said, bites the dust because
\neach of the four factions in the House have a different
\ninterpretation of what the government's greater tolerance of
\npolitical openness would mean to the legislative body.<\/p>\n
PPP also vowed to strengthen the House's role in the
\nfinalization of the annual state budget.<\/p>\n
Hamzah said that in the future, deliberation on the budget
\nmust include details of government projects and programs to
\nfacilitate DPR's supervision of the state funds.<\/p>\n
\"The House has the right to know every single cent the
\ngovernment spends,\" said the legislator well-known for his shrewd
\nanalysis on state budget. (pan)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/dpr-needs-to-shed-its-poor-image-ppp-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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