Pay rise for legislators?<\/p>\n
Benget Simbolon Tnb., Jakarta<\/p>\n
The House of Representatives (DPR) recently proposed a salary
\nincrease for its members of almost 300 percent from Rp 12 million
\nto Rp 35.3 million.<\/p>\n
The proposal will be deliberated as part of the draft of next
\nyear's budget and its approval seems inevitable.<\/p>\n
In fact, a number of legislative bodies in regencys and cities
\nacross the country have made similar requests. In Jakarta alone,
\nlegislators have enjoyed a pay rise of 320 percent since January
\nfrom Rp 6.5 million to Rp 21 million per month.<\/p>\n
After they take up office, legislators are more interested in
\ntheir salaries than the issues of the day.<\/p>\n
Some members claim to need additional funds to pay advisors,
\nbut the House already has a team of advisors who are ready to
\nassist them.<\/p>\n
Others claim to need more money to improve their performance
\nand enhance their relations with their constituents. Since their
\nperformance is related to other government agencies, why do they
\nnot also demand a pay rise for all members of related
\ninstitutions?<\/p>\n
As matters stand, the 550 members of the House do not deserve
\nto get a pay rise.<\/p>\n
First, their performance so far does not entitle them to a
\nrise. After more than six months in office, they have only
\nmanaged to pass a revision of the 2005 budget. They were supposed
\nto pass 55 bills this year, but so far not one has been passed.
\nThe 55 bills are among 284 drafts scheduled to be passed by the
\nend of their term in 2009.<\/p>\n
For sure, people still remember the promises the legislators
\nmade during the election campaigns last year. When do they start
\nworking to realize them? Or are they too busy to recall the
\npromises of their own parties?.<\/p>\n
Second, if we think of Indonesia as a company and House
\nmembers as its employees, more light is shed on the issue. A
\ncompany that is doing well considers rewarding its employees, a
\ncompany facing hard times does not.<\/p>\n
Compared to other countries in the Southeast Asian region,
\nIndonesia's business climate remains poor as investors are
\nstaying away due to its record of corruption, red tape, higher
\nlabor costs and uncertainties in its legal system and security
\nsituation.<\/p>\n
Because of the barriers, Indonesia has only undergone a shaky
\ngrowth of about five percent, which is still two percentage
\npoints below the seven percent expected to be able to absorb the
\ngrowing number of unemployed.<\/p>\n
According to National Development Planning Board (Bappenas)
\ndata, due to the slow growth of the economy, the open
\nunemployment rate over the last five years has been increasing
\nfrom eight million (8.10 percent) in 2001, to 9.13 million (9.06
\npercent) in 2002, 9.53 million (9.50 percent) in 2003, 10.04
\nmillion (9.81 percent) in 2004 and is expected to be around 10.51
\nmillion (10.05 percent) this year.<\/p>\n
According to the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), total
\nunemployment, including people who are earning less than the
\nbasic wage, has now reached some 40 million people.<\/p>\n
Of a population of 220 million people, 40 million are living
\nunder the poverty line. If the economy continues to grow at a
\nslow rate, that number will continue to increase.<\/p>\n
Due to poverty, for example, many families are unable to send
\ntheir children to school or are forced to take their children out
\nof school.<\/p>\n
For others, the situation is even worse. They are unable to
\nprovide their children with healthy food, or enough food, as
\nevident in the malnutrition cases recently reported.<\/p>\n
Conditions are probably going to get worse due to the fuel
\ncrisis, which will very likely force the government to raise fuel
\nprices to lessen the burden of the subsidies.<\/p>\n
The increasing prices of fuel, with global oil prices hovering
\nat US$60 per barrel, will certainly increase the budget deficit.<\/p>\n
Considering this, how can House members have the heart to ask
\nfor a pay rise? Why do they not, as the people's representatives,
\nprioritize tackling the problems faced by the country?<\/p>\n
Do they not realize that Indonesia has been reduced to a poor
\ncountry since it was hit by the multi-crisis of 1998?. Or has the
\nget-rich-quick disease blurred their definitions of poverty and
\nethical behavior?<\/p>\n
Perhaps, if that is the case, then they are included in the
\ngroup of people whose definition of poverty is as follows: Pak
\nDullah is a poor man: His driver is poor, his gardener is poor,
\nand his family's babysitter is also poor.<\/p>\n
The author is a staff writer of The Jakarta Post.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/pay-rise-for-legislators-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }