Government ponders bill on Cabinet dissolution

Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Reconfirming its refusal to deliberate the presidential bill put forth by the House of Representatives, the government said on Monday it would instead propose a bill on the formation and dissolution of the Cabinet.

Minister of Justice and Human Rights Yusril Ihza Mahendra said the government would write to the House an official explanation on its stance over the presidential bill.

Yusril said the government considered the Cabinet bill a top priority, speaking after his meeting with House Speaker Akbar Tandjung, House Legislation Body (Baleg) chairman Zain Badjeber and legislators Agustin Teras Narang and Ferry Mursyidan Baldan.

Yusril, accompanied by State Secretary Bambang Kesowo and State Minister of Administrative Reforms Feisal Tamin, reiterated that most of the articles in the presidential bill were outdated.

Teras and Ferry declined to comment on the matter.

The House proposed the presidential bill to President Megawati Soekarnoputri in December 2001, but after two years, no minister has been appointed by the President to represent the government in deliberating the bill with the House.

Yusril said the presidential bill was prepared while the constitution was still undergoing revisions. The amendments concluded in August 2002.

"We appreciate the House members for preparing the bill, any way," he said.

Regarding the Cabinet bill, Yusril said it deserved priority as it was mandated by the amended constitution and was "more useful" than the presidential bill.

The draft Cabinet bill stipulates that the President will only appoint those Cabinet ministers who will help him or her conduct state duties.

For example, Yusril said, the President would need the foreign minister in maintaining international relations, the defense minister in maintaining national security, the justice minister in upholding the law and the coordinating minister of people's welfare in improving the well being of the people.

"Of course, the president may reduce or increase the number of ministries. It depends on necessity," he said, adding that the establishment of the posts of state minister of state enterprises or state minister of administrative reforms had been incidental.