Constitutional Commission debates own agenda

Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The public's expectation for a better constitution in seven months is unlikely to be met, as several members of the newly established Constitutional Commission are unable to work full- time due to previous commitments.

The commission's 31 members, mostly university lecturers, said on Monday that they could not join the commission's activities because they had to teach at their respective institutions.

The commission was scheduled to endorse their agenda and work mechanism, but failed due to the absence of several members, especially those living outside Jakarta.

It then agreed to appoint a smaller team of seven members to complete the task.

"The team will report to a plenary meeting tomorrow (Tuesday)," said commission chairman Sri Soemantri.

Monday's meeting began at 1:00 p.m. and ended at 4:30 p.m., without any agreement on the agenda nor work mechanism of the commission, even after a long debate on those issues.

The debate started when Laode Ida suggested they discuss the work mechanism first, which drew mixed reactions.

They also debated on whether there was a need to split up the 31-strong commission into three groups to focus on specific issues.

Based on the draft agenda prepared by the commission leaders, the commission was to meet on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, research documents and gather public input every Wednesday and take Saturdays and Sundays off.

However, many commission members rejected the draft agenda and said they had other commitments.

Maria Farida Indrati, a legal expert from the University of Indonesia (UI), said she hoped there would be no meeting on Monday because she had to teach that day from morning to afternoon.

"...I didn't know I would be selected as a commission member," she said.

Fellow lecturers from other regions suggested that they meet from Monday to Thursday, and give weekend lectures.

Dahlan Thaib of Yogyakarta-based Indonesian Islamic University (UII), said commission members who resided outside Jakarta were concerned about the agenda.

"We can only spend three days a week in Jakarta, because we are not state officials who must be in Jakarta every day," Dahlan said.

Meanwhile, Tjipta Lesmana said it would be no problem if some commission members skipped the plenary meeting.

"Expecting all members to attend the plenary meeting is simply impossible, because nine members are from outside Jakarta," he said.

The commission has seven months to harmonize the amended 1945 Constitution which, according to several experts, is loaded with the short-term political interests of particular groups.

Monthly income for Constitutional Commission members --------------------------------------------------------------- No. Types Living in Jakarta outside Jakarta --------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Accommodation Rp 3,529,411 Rp 9,411,764 2. Salary Rp 3,529,411 Rp 3,529,411 3. Bonus per meeting Rp 147,058 Rp 147,058 --------------------------------------------------------------- Note: Commission members from outside Jakarta will have one return airplane ticket once a month.