Dumped lawmakers 'may abuse power'
Dumped lawmakers 'may abuse power'
Rendi A. Witular, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
With most members of the House of Representatives' finance
commission seeing no chance of reelection, there are fears they
will use their remaining sitting period to demand bribes.
Reports from the General Elections Commission (KPU) indicate
more than half of the 55 members of the Commission IX on finance
have a little or no chance of being reelected. They are either
not proposed as legislative candidates by their own parties or
have been put low down on their party lists.
The legislative election will be held on April 5, and new
legislators will assume their posts in October. The House, now in
recess, will sit again from May to October.
Economic and political analyst Ichsanuddin Noorsy said the
legislators who fail in the incoming elections, would be likely
to take bribes as they would feel their careers were over.
"These legislators will think that their remaining sitting
period is their last chance to rake in as much money as they can,
because there will be no second chances later on, and they have
nothing to lose," he said over the weekend.
Ichsanuddin, a former legislator from the Golkar Party, said
the legislators should be prevented from being involved in
approving policies proposed by the government during their
remaining sitting period, given the bribery risk.
The policies should be approved by the new legislators
instead, he said.
High on the Commission IX's agenda in the remaining sitting
period is the selection of the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) head
and board members.
The commission has decided to proceed with the selection after
the general election and will finish it before the presidential
election on July 5. It insisted it would proceed despite protests
from several non-governmental organizations, which urged the
selection should be done by the new legislators.
The BPK has a crucial task of examining the implementation of
the state budget and the financial reports of state institutions,
including state-owned enterprises.
Other strategic government policies waiting to be approved by
the commission are the sale of government shares in several
state-owned companies, such as a 30 percent stake in scandal-
ridden Bank Negara Indonesia, and the privatization of PT Merpati
Airlines, finance company PT Danareksa Persero and airport
operator PT Angkasa Pura I. The government and the legislators
are also scheduled to approve the selection of the senior deputy
governor for the Central Bank.
Economist Drajad Wibowo said the government might manipulate
the frustrated legislators in order to win easy approval for its
policies during the House sitting period.
"The May to October period could prove the most hazardous time
for the country's economy, because several legislators, who are
obviously frustrated, will become easy targets for bribes by
government officials," Drajad said.