City Council plans to reduce number of factions
JAKARTA (JP): Regional autonomy has sparked controversy anew as demonstrated by the debate that is now looming in the City Council over a proposal from the major factions to reduce the number of political groupings from the current 11.
Ajarta Sebayang of the majority Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) faction said on Friday that the top four political groupings in the council were united in their desire to reduce the number of factions as a result of the issuance of the Government Regulation No. 1/2001 on Jan. 3.
He said the issue emerged during the deliberation of amendments to the City Council's standing orders, a process which is still underway.
"The revision of the standing orders will have to be completed by Tuesday and there will be a cut in the number of factions," Ajarta, a member of the council's special committee in charge of the revision of the standing orders, told reporters.
Article 41 of the Government Regulation on guidelines for the adoption of standing orders by provincial and regency/municipality-level legislative assemblies, stipulates that a faction should hold at least one tenth of the total seats on the council. There are a total of 85 seats on the Jakarta City Council.
Based on this regulation, only the PDI Perjuangan, which holds 30 seats, the United Development Party (PPP) with 13, the National Mandate Party (PAN) with 13 and the Indonesian Military (TNI)/National Police with nine would be entitled to form factions.
The Golkar Party, which has eight seats, the Justice Party (4), the National Awakening Party (3), the Crescent and Star Party (2), and the United Party, the Justice and Unity Party and the Indonesian Diversity Party (PBI), which have only one seat each, would miss out.
The minor factions have expressed their opposition to the proposal.
Ajarta insisted that the reduction was necessary in order to comply with the Government Regulation and to help the council work in an effective manner. He said the mandatory representation of 11 factions in hearings and plenary sessions was a waste of time and facilities.
"It's unfair to provide the big factions and the minuscule factions with equal facilities," said Ajar, who is the deputy chairman of the PDI Perjuangan's city chapter.
He said amendments to the council's standing orders, including the simplification of council proceedings, would be decided on at a plenary session next week.
A vote will be taken at the plenary session if the minor factions remain steadfast in their opposition to the changes.
Ajarta said the seven minor factions would have to merge in order to meet the quota of seats, otherwise they would lose their rights to express opinions during plenary sessions and be required to return the facilities they had been granted to the administration.
Each faction is currently provided with its own offices and facilities. A faction leader also receives an official car of a class above those recently provided to all council members.
Undemocratic
Chairman of the Justice and Unity Party (PKP) Posman Siahaan lashed out at the proposal to shrink the council, saying it ran counter to democracy.
"It imposes uniformity which runs against the spirit of reform. It's impossible for our faction which has a nationalist and democratic platform to merge with the other religious-based factions, for example," Posman explained.
He said the government regulation defied the spirit of regional autonomy because its contents reflected the wishes of the central government to intervene in the city council's internal procedures.
The regulation, he said, also challenged Law No. 4/1999 on the composition and functions of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), the House of Representatives (DPR) and the provincial and regency/municipality-level assemblies (DPRD).
The law allows each legislature, regardless of its level, to form its own factions, with the number of the factions being determined based on an agreement between the parties.
Posman said his opposition did not have anything to do with the facilities he enjoyed as a faction chief.
"If these facilities are questioned by the large factions, I'll comply with the promise I made at the beginning that I would return the facilities, including the car, at any time," Posman, who is a member of the council's Commission A for legal affairs, said.
He was also prepared to be remunerated as a mere councilor even though he, as the only PKP councillor, participated in all the special committees established by the council.
"Although it would be unfair, I'm prepared to agree to give up the allowances I am entitled to as a member of the various committees. No problem," he said. (jun)