Govt told to quickly draft budget bill<\/p>\n
Dadan Wijaksana, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The government should speed up the drawing-up process of the
\n2005 state budget bill so that its deliberation would not be
\ndisrupted too much by the election, which is expected to keep
\nlawmakers busy, according to a senior legislator.<\/p>\n
Poltak Sitorus, deputy chairman of the House of
\nRepresentatives' Commission IX on financial and budget affairs
\nsaid on Tuesday that the House's leaders had given the Commission
\na mandate to prepare for the deliberation as early as possible.<\/p>\n
\"We've been given the deadline until October (to complete the
\ndeliberation of the budget). The election makes the process
\ndifferent than that of the previous years,\" said Poltak.<\/p>\n
\"So, if we can start the deliberation in March, the deadline
\nis achievable. That's why the government needs to quickly submit
\nthe bill to the House.\"<\/p>\n
In the previous years, the deliberation usually begins in
\nAugust before being passed on into a law sometime in November or
\nDecember.<\/p>\n
As members of political parties, many of the current lawmakers
\nwould engage in a lengthy campaign activities during the
\nelection, which will start in April all the way until September.<\/p>\n
A total of 24 parties will compete for some 145 million voters
\nqualified to select legislators and the President.<\/p>\n
Poltak said that the new schedule would be presented in the
\nnext House's sitting period. Currently, the House is enjoying a
\nfour-week recess which will end on Jan. 15.<\/p>\n
Poltak's remarks imply that the House wanted that all budget-
\nmaking process -- from drafting, deliberation to the enactment of
\nthe budget -- should be conducted by the economic cabinet team of
\nthe current government -- which is in contravention with the
\ngovernment's expectation.<\/p>\n
Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Dorodjatun
\nKuntjoro-Jakti said on Monday that among the priorities to be
\ndone by the current government, whose mandate is to end before
\nyear-end, was to formulate the 2005 state budget bill.<\/p>\n
He noted however that the deliberation process would be done
\nby the next government.<\/p>\n
\"That will be our last budget proposal. It is the task of the
\nnext government to deliberate the bill into a law,\" Dorodjatun
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Poltak on the other hand, disagreed with such a plan. Aside
\nfrom busy schedule of campaigns, he cited as another reason
\ntechnical difficulties for the newly assembled economic team of
\nthe next government to immediately take part in the bill's
\ndeliberation process.<\/p>\n
It remains to be seen how the House and the government will
\nbridge the difference. Analysts warn, however, if the budget is
\nnot approved this year, there would be disruption in the fiscal
\nmanagement in the first months of the year.<\/p>\n
A late approval of the bill will render difficulties for
\nregional governments to draw up their budget on time as they use
\nthe state budget as reference in making their own.<\/p>",
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