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.