Discussions to promote new bill held

Discussions to promote new bill held

JAKARTA: The Center for Indonesian Policy and Legal Studies
(PHSK) and the Coalition of Non-Governmental Organizations are
holding a series of discussions to raise awareness of the bill on
the composition of legislative bodies.

The executive director of PHSK, Bivitri Susanti, said the
discussions were aimed at rallying support for a bill that would
enable the nation to elect accountable representatives in a
transparent process.

The two organizations have proposed an alternative draft bill
they say is an improvement on the government-sponsored draft,
which is currently being deliberated by the House of
Representatives.

In their draft, the two organizations propose transparent
consultations between the House and the Regional Legislative
Council, which form the People's Consultative Assembly. They also
demand public control over lawmakers, which would allow for the
dismissal of a legislator following a vote of no-confidence by
his or her constituents.

The first discussion was held in Surabaya last Wednesday and
the second is scheduled for South Kalimantan capital of
Banjarmasin this Wednesday. The third is to be held in Gorontalo
on May 21, the fourth in Jakarta on May 28, the fifth in the
South Sulawesi capital of Makassar on June 4, the sixth in Riau
on June 11 and the seventh in Bandung on June 18. -- JP