Councils want law to recall members

Councils want law to recall members

Asip A. Hasani, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta

The Association of Provincial Legislative Councils
ended its two-day congress in Yogyakarta with a call for the
reinstatement of political laws that allow political parties to
fire or withdraw "rogue" members from legislatures.

The congress concluded on Saturday, but its official
recommendations were only made available to the media on Monday.

Affandi, a deputy speaker of Yogyakarta's provincial
legislative council, said the reinstatement of the laws was
crucial to allow for the control of legislators involved in
corruption scandals.

"We have had some instances where the reputation of a
legislative council has been tarnished by the practices of
our fellow legislators. At the same time, there is no
political tool to control (the legislators)," he said on Sunday.

As an example, he cited a bribery scandal surrounding the
Jogja Expo Center project allegedly involving local provincial
legislators, which in turn tainted the entire council and its
work.

Political parties have lost some control over their
legislators since five 1985 political laws were revoked after
former dictator Soeharto stepped down in 1998.

Under the 1985 laws, political parties were authorized to
recall legislators. However, the laws were often used to recall
outspoken legislators, such as Sri Bintang Pamungkas of the
United Development Party (PPP).

Because of the abuse of the laws by the Soeharto regime to
silence politicians critical of the government, they were
scrapped after Soeharto fell from power.

Under the current political laws, which were enacted in 1999,
legislators can only be replaced by their parties if they resign,
die or are convicted of a crime.

The congress also recommended the establishment of a
legislative honor board and a code of ethics for legislators in
order to enforce the internal controls over them.

Also, the congress urged the central government to clarify the
roles of provincial governments and legislative councils in
autonomous regions.

The congress also voted to retain the speaker of Jakarta's
provincial legislative council, Edy Waluyo, as the leader of the
30-member association for another one-year term.

He will be assisted by three new deputies -- the speaker of
Yogyakarta's legislative council, Surasmo Priyandono, the speaker
of Bali's legislative council, Ida Bagus Putu Wesnawa, and the
speaker of North Sumatra's legislative council, Bachtiar Sonar
Siregar.

The association was established in November 2000 in
Jakarta, with the goal of improving the performance of the 30
provincial legislative councils.