Amendment must protect regional interests: Observer

Amendment must protect regional interests: Observer

Kurniawan Hari and A'an Suryana, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Public discourse on amendments to the 1945 Constitution must not
ignore the regions who have demanded the inclusion of regional
representatives through the setting up of an independent
commission.

Saldi Isra of Andalas University in Padang said on Friday that
the interests of the regions must be guaranteed in both the
process and the substance of constitutional amendments.

"People from the regions must have the opportunity to take
part in the constitutional amendment," Saldi told The Jakarta
Post.

Saldi, who has joined a coalition of nongovernmental
organizations campaigning for a new constitution, said the
establishment of an independent commission, whose members include
regional representatives, would guarantee that the interests of
the regions were protected.

According to Zaldi, the substance of the Constitution must
protect the interests of the regions and specifically
differentiate between the authority of the central government and
that of the regions.

"Articles in the Constitution that specifically mention the
authority of the regional areas will prevent dubious
interpretation," said Saldi.

He strongly criticized the amendment process in the past three
years which was carried out by an elite circle in the People's
Consultative Assembly (MPR) in Jakarta.

The third amendment last year endorsed the establishment of
the Regional Representatives Council (DPD), which, along with the
House of Representatives, would create a bicameral system.

The DPD would not only lead to the creation of a bicameral
system, but protect the interests of regions as the DPD would
have authority to outline regulations on autonomy.

However the idea on the establishment of the DPD had been
facing tough challenges in the past few weeks.

The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan),
Indonesia's most influential political party, which had agreed to
the third amendment last year, had argued that the DPD would
threaten the existence of the unitary state of the Republic of
Indonesia.

It also demanded that the establishment of the DPD endorsed
last November be scrapped.

"The regional representatives council would be given wide-
ranging authorities to deliberate the bill on regional autonomy,
which could bring the autonomy drive too far," Tarto Sudiro, the
head of the ruling party's research and development section, told
reporters on Friday.

Principally, Tarto said, his party supported the amendment to
the Constitution, except for several crucial parts of the
Constitution, including the Preamble.

"The amendment of the preamble will eventually dissolve the
unitary state of Indonesia, and we should prevent this," he
added.

PDI Perjuangan suggested that the amendment should be
carefully deliberated since there are pros and cons behind it.

"If there is a deadlock, the Constitution Commission, which is
formed through a referendum, must be given the mandate to go
ahead with the amendment.

"If there is a deadlock, the presidential decree, as a means
to settle the problem, should be avoided so as not to spark
controversy among the public," he said.