House's debate on oil bill goes on<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The House of Representatives and the government
\ncontinued debating an oil and gas bill despite a call from
\nactivists for the cancellation of the talks.<\/p>\n
Legislator Priyo Budi Santoso, a member of the House's special
\nteam for the deliberation of the bill, said on Tuesday the House
\nand the government had no intention to cancel the debates, and
\ndismissed the call as \"irrational and unconstitutional\".<\/p>\n
\"If the House cancels the debates on the oil and gas bill and
\nother bills, the legislators will have no activities until the
\nend of term (in late August). Do people want the legislators to
\nspend time sleeping while waiting for retirement?<\/p>\n
\"Under the constitution, the House is not allowed to have no
\nactivities,\" Priyo said.<\/p>\n
A coalition of 125 non-governmental organizations staged a
\ndemonstration on Monday at the House and the Ministry of Forestry
\nand Plantations to demand the cancellation of the debates on the
\noil and gas and forestry bills.<\/p>\n
The House and the government are debating the oil and gas bill
\nand plan to debate the forestry bill later this week.<\/p>\n
The activists said debating the bills on extremely tight
\nschedules would prompt legislators to overlook limitations.<\/p>\n
They called on the House to allow new House members elected
\nduring the June 7 general election to do the job. The new
\nlegislators will start term in September.<\/p>\n
Priyo dismissed speculations that the legislators were
\nforcing themselves to approve the oil and gas bill or the
\ngovernment pushed them to approve the bill during the current
\nlegislative term.<\/p>\n
\"We just work as usual, free of pressure. There is no problem.
\nBut, the fact is that both the House and the government are
\nreally committed to finishing the debates on the bills by July
\n29,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Priyo noted the House has no ambition to approve the bill
\nduring the current legislative term, adding the newly elected
\nlegislators would resume the debates if they weren't completed.<\/p>\n
\"The new legislators may reject the results of the current
\ndebates and restart them from zero, or they may accept the
\nresults of the current debates and go ahead examining the points
\nwhich have not been debated,\" Priyo said.<\/p>\n
Disagreement<\/p>\n
In a related development, Minister of Mines and Energy Kuntoro
\nMangkusubroto said on Tuesday that thus far the debates had run
\nwell despite the fact that the House and the government were
\nstill at odds on several issues.<\/p>\n
He said the points at issue included the right to award oil
\nand gas contracts and the type of contract.<\/p>\n
Kuntoro said under the constitution, the right to award oil
\nand gas contracts lies with the nation.<\/p>\n
Under the current oil and gas law, the nation delegates the
\nright to state oil and gas company Pertamina.<\/p>\n
Under the bill, Kuntoro said, the government would take over
\nthe right and exercise it by itself.<\/p>\n
However, he said, some legislators were still opposed to the
\nidea, arguing that by awarding contracts to oil and gas
\ncompanies, the government is doing business with them -- which is
\nunacceptable to the legislators. As such, the legislators
\nproposed the government delegate the contract-awarding right to a
\nstate company, be it Pertamina or others.<\/p>\n
Kuntoro, however, argued that awarding contracts was different
\nfrom doing business.<\/p>\n
\"What is business? Awarding a contract is not business.
\nBusiness is making a transaction, making deals and such,\" Kuntoro
\ntold reporters, adding the government would not compromise with
\nthe House on the issue.<\/p>\n
He said in the past, state companies, including state coal
\ncompany PT Bukit Asam and tin company PT Timah, also controlled
\nthe contract-awarding rights in their respective business sectors
\nbut the government later took over the rights.<\/p>\n
Regarding the type of contract, Kuntoro said, the legislators
\ndemanded that the law explicitly stipulate that the production
\nsharing contract (PSC) system is mandatory for all oil and gas
\ncontractors.<\/p>\n
However, Kuntoro said, the government still preferred using
\nthe generic term of cooperation contract in the law.<\/p>\n
\"The government thus far has no intention to change the
\ncurrent PSC system as long as it is good for the country but the
\nlaw should be open to innovations in the oil and gas contract
\nsystem over the next 30 years,\" Kuntoro argued.(jsk)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/houses-debate-on-oil-bill-goes-on-1447893297",
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