Government to replace 350 laws by end of 1999

Government to replace 350 laws by end of 1999

JAKARTA (JP): The government is determined to replace 350 laws
inherited from the Dutch colonial era by the end of 1999, a
cabinet minister said yesterday.

Minister of Justice Oetojo Oesman said the laws made by the
Dutch were no longer relevant to the current situation in
Indonesia.

"We examine between 50 and 70 of the outdated laws every year,
and hope to finish the revision program by the end of the
(ongoing) sixth Five Year Plan.

"We may be unable to achieve that target, but at least we will
complete drafts of the new laws," Oetojo said after attending a
plenary meeting of the House of Representatives.

The meeting, chaired by House Deputy Speaker Soetedjo,
endorsed the bill on company documents, a substitute of an 1847
colonial law. The bill was the eighth of 12 submitted by the
Ministry of Justice since 1992. The House is expected to pass the
remaining four by the May 29 general election.

The bill on company documents is the third approved by the
House since it began its current session on Jan. 6. Another 20
are in the pipeline before the House members' tenure ends on
Sept. 30.

Next week the House is expected to pass bills on copyrights,
patents and trademarks, the 1997/1998 state budget and nuclear
power.

Deliberations on two of the waiting bills, those on the
environment and manpower, will start only next month.

The "nationalization" of the laws is a part of the national
legislation program initiated in the early 1970s. The program
obliges the Ministry of Justice to draw up a so-called masterplan
of draft bills to be submitted to the House in a five-year term.

Oetojo hailed the House for its cooperative attitude during
each bill's deliberation. "The House's wisdom has paved the way
for the approval of every bill without sacrificing the depth and
intensity of the deliberations," Oetojo said.

Legislators have complained that the legislation program
always tends to mount toward the end of the five-year term.

Oetojo said the government had heeded the complaint and
promised to solve the problem as quickly as possible.

"We are preparing a bill on law drafting guidelines which will
replace the old one applied since the Dutch era," Oetojo said.
"We hope to submit the bill to the House soon."

The bill on company documents recognizes microfilm and other
electronic media as evidence in addition to conventional written
evidence.

Oetojo said the new bill would allow companies to cut their
documentary expenditure by Rp 2.4 trillion (US$1 billion) within
the next 10 years.

The bill lets companies throw away their documents after 10
years, while the current law obliges them to keep all documents
for 30 years. (amd)