DPD seeks equality with the House

DPD seeks equality with the House

Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The successful election of leaders of the People's Consultative
Assembly has inspired the Regional Representatives Council (DPD)
to propose amendments to the Constitution that would encourage
equality between the council and the House of Representatives.

The plan was unveiled on Tuesday during a DPD plenary session
to hear progress reports from some of its working groups,
including one on the formation of a disciplinary council and
another on relations with the House.

"We will assign a separate committee to propose amendments to
the Constitution and some related laws. The changes are needed to
establish equality between the two law-making bodies," DPD member
Muspani said on Tuesday.

Though DPD members are directly elected by the people, the
Constitution and Law No. 22/2003 on the composition of the
Assembly, the House, the DPD and regional legislatures, reduce
the DPD to secondary status compared to the House.

According to legislation, DPD members will be invited to
attend House plenary sessions only to hear the president deliver
the draft state budget.

The DPD has little legislative power, but can provide
suggestions to the House regarding the deliberation of bills on
the state budget and regional administration. DPD members can
submit their suggestions, but they are not involved in
deliberating bills.

The DPD was introduced this year as Indonesia moved to a
bicameral representation system in the wake of flagging public
trust in political parties. The DPD emulates the Senate in the
United States.

Each province has four representatives in the DPD who, like
House members, were elected in the legislative election.

The struggle for equality with the House gained momentum
earlier this month when the 128-strong DPD push for an Assembly
leadership consisting of two House and two DPD representatives.

House members, particularly from parties included in the
Nationhood Coalition, rejected the quota, saying the Assembly
comprised individual members of the House and the DPD, not two
institutions.

GKR Hemas, a DPD member from Yogyakarta, said the Constitution
and existing legislation provided the DPD with a weak bargaining
position vis-a-vis the House.

She said the proposed constitutional amendments would be
discussed by a nine-member team.

The Assembly has amended the Constitution four times since
1999, with the last amendment resulting in the introduction of
the DPD.

DPD Speaker Ginandjar Kartasasmita said the DPD would take as
a reference the work of the Constitutional Commission, which has
assessed all of the constitutional amendments between 1999 and
2003.

The commission has said the amendments were flawed and
accommodated too many short-term political interests.

"The commission suggested, among other things, the DPD's right
to veto bills sponsored by the House," Ginandjar said.

The DPD will also propose a revision to the law on the
composition of legislative bodies, he added.

Some DPD members attending the plenary session on Tuesday also
proposed that the DPD be given the authority to summon the
president to explain the draft budget.