Expert urges independent law agency

Expert urges independent law agency

JAKARTA (JP): The Agency for National Legal Development (BPHN)
should be separated from the Ministry of Justice so it can act as
coordinator for the drafting of bills in Indonesia, an expert
said.

BPHN should play a greater role in the drafting of bills and
act independently from the Ministry of Justice, lecturer Yusril
Ihza Mahendra of the University of Indonesia said yesterday at a
seminar on Effective and Efficient Government to Develop Regional
Autonomy.

"BPHN should be made into a nondepartmental institution like
the Development Finance Comptroller (BPKP)," he said.

He added that BPKP gained greater authority to audit
governmental departments after it was separated from the Ministry
of Finance.

He added that the head of the agency should become state
minister of law.

Yusril said the present system allows for each department to
draft its own bills without direct consultation with either the
Ministry of Justice or BPHN.

Such a situation he said often created confusion at the
cabinet secretary's office which was responsible for delivering
the bills to the House of Representatives.

The establishment of BPHN as an independent office also falls
in line with the State Policy Guidelines which suggest the need
to draw up a master plan of draft bills to be submitted to the
House.

Yusril suggested that the state minister of law/BPHN's
chairman should function as a coordinating party of drafting
bills for the government.

"BPHN should make a priority list of the draft bills," he said
adding that the list would indicate the urgency of a certain
draft bill to be deliberated by the House.

The piling up of draft bills at the House has often forced it
to hastily deliberate bills, Yusril said.

"The deliberation of bills in such a short period of time has
raised questions among people on the quality of the bills," he
said.

He hoped that BPHN could also propose a target date for draft
bill completion within a particular term in order to create a
better deliberation schedule. (10)