Conflicting bills may be discussed together
Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Several members of the House of Representatives (DPR) proposed on Wednesday a simultaneous deliberation of two new bills on freedom of information and state secrecy in order to avoid conflicting provisions as between the two bills.
House members underlined the importance of prioritizing the deliberation on public access to information.
The bill on freedom of information gives the public access to information, while the state secrecy bill provides even low- ranking officers with the authority to ban public access to information.
"The deliberation of the bills has to be made simultaneously to avoid contradicting articles," deputy chairman of House Commission I in charge of information affairs R.K. Sembiring Meliala said here on Wednesday.
Fellow Commission I member Hajriyanto Y. Thohari agreed, but warned of the increasing pressure legislators may be under during the deliberation of the two bills.
"Technically, the deliberation can be done simultaneously. But, the substance of the bills will be too burdensome," Hajriyanto told The Jakarta Post, adding that he would try to uphold the public's right to information as a priority.
Both Sembiring of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) and Hajriyanto of Golkar made the remarks on a plan by legislators to discuss the bill on freedom of information and an intention by the government to submit a state secrecy bill to the House later this month.
On Monday, legislator Tumbu Saraswati told a House plenary meeting that her team would start deliberating the bill on freedom of information over the next few days.
Speaking on behalf of the 29 inter-faction legislators, Tumbu of PDI Perjuangan said that the bill was expected to enforce the creation of transparent governance.
Agus Sudibyo of the coalition of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) for freedom of information urged legislators recently to respond to the public's demand for transparent governance.
"The government must delay the deliberation of the state secrecy bill," Agus said.
Fellow activist of the Indonesian Center for Environmental Law (ICEL) Yosi Khatarina suggested on Wednesday that the substance of the two bills be merged into one bill.
"Because its substance is similar, the state secrecy bill should be merged into the one on the freedom of information," she told the Post.
Legislator Djoko Susilo, who heads the media and information unit of Commission I, expressed fear on Tuesday of the possibility that the deliberation of the bill on state secrecy may take priority over the bill on the freedom of information.
His concern won support from some legislators, including Firman Jaya Daeli, who recommended that the bill on freedom of information be deliberated first.
"The House will firstly discuss the bill on freedom of information, while the bill on state secrecy should be adjusted later," Firman said on Wednesday.