Absenteeism still rife among legislators

Kurniawan Hari The Jakarta Post Jakarta

People's Consultative Assembly Speaker Amien Rais and President Megawati Soekarnoputri's husband Taufik Kiemas top the list of lawmakers who rarely or never attended House of Representatives' meetings over the past year, a parliamentary forum revealed.

The Mass Communications Forum (FKM), an organization grouping journalists covering the House, predicted that the poor attendance record of legislators would worsen in the coming months as politicians would be busy with their preparations for the April election.

The forum compiled its report from the attendance lists for every House session recorded by the House secretariat.

Other lawmakers who rarely turned up for House sessions were Soetjipto and Husni Thamrin, both of whom are also Assembly speakers.

Amien, who also chairs the National Awakening Party (PAN), and Taufik, an influential member of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), are registered as members of House Commission I for security and political affairs. Soetjipto, who is also the PDI Perjuangan's secretary-general, is a member of Commission VI for social affairs, while Thamrin of the United Development Party is listed as a member of the Commission VIII for energy and mineral resources.

All 500 House members are automatically granted seats in the Assembly.

The forum's report also revealed that many House legislators attended not more than 30 percent of meetings.

They included PDI Perjuangan legislators Roy BB Janis, Jacob Tobing, Abdul Madjid, and Guruh Soekarnoputra, as well as now inactive members Indira Damayanti Sugondo and Meilono Suwondo, who never attended meetings between August and September.

Much. Dawam Anwar and Fuad Amin Imron of the National Awakening Party (PKB) faction, Much. Nawir of the PPP, Probosutedjo of the Indonesian National Unity (KKI) faction and Muchtar Adam of the Reform faction were absent from all meetings between October and November, while Effendy Yusuf of Golkar and Izzul Islam of the PPP failed to put in an appearance between May and July.

"Although they cannot be labeled unscrupulous or rotten politicians, these House members have betrayed the mandate of people," said FKM spokesman Monang Sinaga.

The report comes hard on the heels of the launch of a campaign against "rotten politicians" by a group of non-governmental organizations. Rotten politicians are categorized as those who have been involved in or been associated with at least one of five types of abuse: corruption, sexual abuse, environmental destruction, drug abuse or human rights abuses.

Although poor House attendance is not included in the criteria for identifying unscrupulous politicians, Monang said such absenteeism should be taken into account by voters in the April 5 election.

FKM coordinator Sulistyo said that although the duties of the Assembly leaders were time-consuming, there were no excuses for always skipping House meetings.

"It would be better all round if the Assembly leaders performed their duty and attended House meetings," he said.

Asked if the FKM had hired lawyers in anticipation of legal action by the legislators who had been named and shamed, Sulistyo said the report was not aimed at discrediting politicians but rather to benefit the public who had voted for the lawmakers' parties during the 1999 election.

Gaudensius Suhardi, another FKM leader, said he had no worries about possible lawsuits as the data was valid and accurate.

Sulistyo said the report was dedicated to RCTI senior reporter Sory Ersa Siregar and cameraman Fery Santoro, whom he said represented press freedom. Ersa was killed in what the military claims was a gunfight while Fery is still being held by Aceh separatist rebels.

Attendance record from May to July 2003 =============================================================== No. Legislator Faction Number of

Meetings Ill Permit Leave --------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Taufik Kiemas PDI-P 21 - - 21 2. Amien Rais Reform 21 - - 21 3. Tarigan Sibero PDI-P 26 26 - - 4. Much. Nawir PPP 26 26 - - 5. Mochtar Buchori PDI-P 21 21 - - 6. Sutjipto PDI-P 21 - 21 - 7. Effendy Yusuf Golkar 21 - 21 - 8. Arifin Panigoro PDI-P 30 - - 30 9. Daniel Yoku PDI-P 30 30 - - 10. Husni Thamrin PPP 38 - 38 - 11. Izzul Islam PPP 38 - - 38 12. Indira Damayanti PDI-P 29 - - 29 13. Meilono Suwondo PDI-p 29 - - 29 --------------------------------------------------------------- Source: FKM