Govt told to quickly draft budget bill

Dadan Wijaksana, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The government should speed up the drawing-up process of the 2005 state budget bill so that its deliberation would not be disrupted too much by the election, which is expected to keep lawmakers busy, according to a senior legislator.

Poltak Sitorus, deputy chairman of the House of Representatives' Commission IX on financial and budget affairs said on Tuesday that the House's leaders had given the Commission a mandate to prepare for the deliberation as early as possible.

"We've been given the deadline until October (to complete the deliberation of the budget). The election makes the process different than that of the previous years," said Poltak.

"So, if we can start the deliberation in March, the deadline is achievable. That's why the government needs to quickly submit the bill to the House."

In the previous years, the deliberation usually begins in August before being passed on into a law sometime in November or December.

As members of political parties, many of the current lawmakers would engage in a lengthy campaign activities during the election, which will start in April all the way until September.

A total of 24 parties will compete for some 145 million voters qualified to select legislators and the President.

Poltak said that the new schedule would be presented in the next House's sitting period. Currently, the House is enjoying a four-week recess which will end on Jan. 15.

Poltak's remarks imply that the House wanted that all budget- making process -- from drafting, deliberation to the enactment of the budget -- should be conducted by the economic cabinet team of the current government -- which is in contravention with the government's expectation.

Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Dorodjatun Kuntjoro-Jakti said on Monday that among the priorities to be done by the current government, whose mandate is to end before year-end, was to formulate the 2005 state budget bill.

He noted however that the deliberation process would be done by the next government.

"That will be our last budget proposal. It is the task of the next government to deliberate the bill into a law," Dorodjatun said.

Poltak on the other hand, disagreed with such a plan. Aside from busy schedule of campaigns, he cited as another reason technical difficulties for the newly assembled economic team of the next government to immediately take part in the bill's deliberation process.

It remains to be seen how the House and the government will bridge the difference. Analysts warn, however, if the budget is not approved this year, there would be disruption in the fiscal management in the first months of the year.

A late approval of the bill will render difficulties for regional governments to draw up their budget on time as they use the state budget as reference in making their own.