All play and no work keeps council happy
Rusman, The Jakarta Post/Samarinda
The new members of the East Kalimantan legislative council for the 2004-2009 period have not started their work as legislators despite the fact that they have been on full salary for two months since they were sworn in on Aug. 30.
The 45 councillors are still waiting for the home affairs minister's approval for the council's standing orders and the outcome of its speakership election.
"We are still awaiting the decision of the central government on the council's controversial standing orders and the outcome of the speakership election. Due to the confusion over these issues, our legislative duties have been badly affected," councillor Asdiani said on Friday.
"Therefore, most of the legislators are doing other jobs," he explained.
However, Asdiani, from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), said some councillors, including himself, had begun performing their duties on the council.
"All of this depends on the member concerned. I will be in constant attendance as this is what I've been elected for by the people," he said.
Almost all of the commission and faction rooms in the council building are empty every day, with only a few councillors bothering to show up.
Those that do show up simply hang around for a while, read the newspapers and then go home.
Based on the council's attendance record, only two councillors visit their faction offices regularly, while all of the commission rooms are vacant.
According to council officials, there are no issues on the agenda for discussion ahead of or during the Ramadhan fasting month, which starts on Oct. 15.
They said the provincial council had been moribund since its 45 new members were installed on Aug. 30, but added that the councillors had all been paid their monthly salaries of Rp 5 million (US$555) on two occasions.
Councillors said the dispute among the factions in the council over its standing orders, particularly those concerning the election of the council leadership, could have prompted Minister of Home Affairs Minister Hari Sabarno to delay endorsing the new rules.
Except for the PDI-P, all the factions had approved the council's standing orders as submitted to Minister Hari.
However, the PDI-P complained to the minister that the standing orders he had been given were different from those approved during a plenary session of the East Kalimantan legislature.
The PDI-P, the second largest faction on the council with seven seats, eventually decided to boycott the election of the council's leadership on Sept. 24, 2004.
In the absence of the PDI-P councillors, the council went ahead with the leadership election, in which Soehartono Soetjipto of the Golkar Party was elected unanimously as the new speaker, and Khairul Fuad of the United Development Party (PPP) and Andi Harun of the National Mandate Party (PAN) as his deputies.