Government objects to House-sponsored bills
Government objects to House-sponsored bills
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta
The government is ready to present alternative bills on the
ministerial offices and the presidential advisory board, claiming
that the drafts sponsored by the House of Representatives
restrict the authority of the president, who is directly elected
by the people.
Citing the amended 1945 Constitution that changed the
presidential election system, the government insisted that there
should be a bigger room for the elected president to determine
the shape of the Cabinet and the number of the ministerial
offices as well as those of presidential advisory board.
"We consider the bills too restrictive for the directly
elected president," interim coordinating minister for security
and political affairs Hari Sabarno said after a limited
Cabinet meeting on Monday.
Indonesia adopts the presidential system of government,
although the amended Constitution has reduced the power of the
president by allowing the House to intervene in a president's
choice of Cabinet members.
"Our point is there should be portfolio ministerial offices
that must be present in every Cabinet, but the non-portfolio
offices must be the prerogative of the president to establish,
regroup, or dissolve," Hari said.
Traditional portfolio ministerial offices in the Cabinet
include those dealing with home affairs, foreign affairs,
finance, education and defense.
"The size of the Cabinet lineup and the non-portfolio
ministerial offices should be the prerogative of the president to
decide, because this may change in accordance with the needs of
the government," he said.
The House-proposed bill offers 31 ministerial offices, 21 of
them portfolio ministries that will have supporting offices in
the regions. It says the Cabinet lineup should follow the
principles of international tradition, historical reasons and
national needs.
Hari said the two alternative bills would be presented to the
faction leaders in the House as soon as possible by several
ministers who have been assigned by the President to represent
the government in the deliberation of the bills.
The House had proposed the bills on the ministerial offices
and presidential advisory board early this year and is waiting
for the government's response.
On the bill on presidential advisory board, Hari refused to go
into details, saying it needed further discussion with the House.
The House expects to finish the deliberation of the two bills
before it completes its term at the end of September, to give the
president who is elected in the Sept. 20 election runoff
guidelines in setting up his or her Cabinet.