Party leaders cautious on course for legislators<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Democratic Party's (PDI)
\nchairman, Soerjadi, reacted cautiously yesterday to the proposed
\ncrash course for new legislators.<\/p>\n
His counterpart from the United Development Party (PPP),
\nIsmail Hasan Metareum, said he agreed in principle to the
\ngovernment's plan, but with conditions.<\/p>\n
Both leaders were commenting on President Soeharto's first
\norder to the new state minister for special assignments, Harmoko.
\nThe President told him to offer the course to legislators who
\nwill be inducted at the House of Representatives on Oct. 1.<\/p>\n
Soeharto was quoted by the head of the Pancasila state
\nideology propagation agency, Alwi Dahlan, as saying Tuesday that
\nthe course was not compulsory.<\/p>\n
Soerjadi said the PDI leadership would discuss the plan
\nbecause the government's move to improve the performance of
\nlegislators was a new phenomenon.<\/p>\n
\"Each party is responsible for improving its legislators, but
\nwe are not going to make a rough assessment of the plan. We just
\ndon't want to see the government's goodwill turn out to adversely
\naffect the country's political development,\" Soerjadi said.<\/p>\n
He said he would have accepted the idea if Harmoko served as a
\nchannel between the government and the House as in other
\ncountries.<\/p>\n
Soerjadi denied that his wariness had anything to do with
\nHarmoko, who was sworn in yesterday, remaining chairman of the
\ndominant party Golkar.<\/p>\n
Golkar secured 325 of the House's 500 seats in the recent
\npoll, compared to PPP's 89 and PDI's 10. The Armed Forces, whose
\nmembers do not vote, has been allotted 75 seats.<\/p>\n
\"It seems to me that the most important problem is how to
\ndevelop a House which gets even with the government.<\/p>\n
\"People perceive the government's domination over the House,
\nand I'm afraid this (the course) will confirm their impression,\"
\nsaid Soerjadi.<\/p>\n
House legislators have been criticized for allegedly
\nrubber-stamping every bill put forward by the government.<\/p>\n
Ismail said the PPP had regularly held its own courses, but
\nthe party welcomed the course if it was not aimed at
\nindoctrinating or dictating to legislators.<\/p>\n
\"It's impossible to say that we oppose the plan, because we
\nhave applied for it for a long time. We want the course to run in
\nthe form of discussions,\" Ismail said.<\/p>\n
Introduction<\/p>\n
He suggested that the course include an introduction to
\nlegislators' jobs and their problems, and a briefing on the
\nHouse's structure and vision.<\/p>\n
Ismail said each party should be allowed to hold its own
\ncourses outside of the government-sponsored program.<\/p>\n
Golkar deputy chairman Moestahid Astari said the course would
\nnot pave the way for government intervention in the parties'
\ninternal affairs.<\/p>\n
\"After a successful general election, we need a course to
\nestablish a common view among legislators on continued
\ndevelopment,\" Moestahid was quoted by Antara as saying.<\/p>\n
The Golkar faction in the House will have a younger look
\nbecause about 60 percent of its members will be debutants.<\/p>\n
Incumbent House Speaker Wahono agreed that the course would
\nnot serve to indoctrinate, but to broaden legislators' minds.<\/p>\n
Political observer Riswandha Imawan questioned the course's
\nquality, saying that its organizer, Harmoko, had no experience as
\na legislator.<\/p>\n
He was skeptical about Harmoko's impartiality. \"It was so
\ndifficult to differ his capacity as minister of information from
\nGolkar chairman, that the course looks like serving only as
\nGolkarization,\" Riswandha said.<\/p>\n
Riswandha suggested that if the government insisted on the
\ncourse, it should be run in conjunction with the National
\nDevelopment Planning Board, not the Pancasila propagation agency.<\/p>\n
Muladi, rector of Semarang-based Diponegoro University and
\nmember of the National Commission on Human Rights, said the
\ncourse was necessary on grounds that problems with national unity
\nhad emerged in the election campaign.<\/p>\n
\"I believe the course is intended to maintain national unity,
\nrather than indoctrinate the legislators,\" he said. (06\/har\/amd)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/party-leaders-cautious-on-course-for-legislators-1447893297",
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