House delays all bill deliberations
House delays all bill deliberations
Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The House of Represantives legislation body (Baleg) agreed on
Monday to delay all bill deliberations, pending discussions
between the government and the legislators on which bills should
be dealt with first.
Baleg chairman Muhammad AS Hikam said the discussions with the
government would take place in January and could take some time
to reach an agreement.
"After hearing public input, we will discuss it with the
government. Possibly, we will start the deliberation of bills in
February," Hikam said after a hearing with eight non-governmental
organizations (NGOs) here on Monday.
Many have hoped that the House would improve its performance
by speeding up the deliberations of at least 61 backlogged bills.
Hikam said that only through discussions with the government
could the lawmakers reach a common understanding on which bills
should be put on the priority list.
He added that the legislation body had also invited input from
all 11 House commissions, but not all of them had responded.
According to Law No. 10/2004 on lawmaking processes, the
legislation activities should refer to the priority set out in
the National Legislation Program (Prolegnas) jointly decided by
the House and the government.
The government has not yet issued an opinion on the bill
priorities.
Meanwhile, NGO activists proposed that the House deliberate
upon a variety of bills.
Indro Sugianto from the Indonesian Center for Environmental
Law (ICEL) suggested that lawmakers ought to focus on natural
resources management (PSDA) and the free access to information
(KMI).
Once a natural resources management law is passed, he said, it
would ensure environmental conservation. "Besides, it is also
mandated in a decree of the People's Consultative Assembly
(MPR)," Indro said.
Munarman from the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) said
that any law resulting from legislation process in the House must
not be make more problems for people.
Taking as an example, Munarman said that the stipulation in
the Antiterror Law and the intelligence bill gives too much
authority to intelligence officials to arrest terrorist suspects,
without much solid evidence.
"In fact, only police officers according to the Criminal Code
are given the power to arrest people," he said.
Munarman also called for the revision of the National Police
Law and place the police under a ministry, be it the Ministry of
Home Affairs or the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights.
In the meantime, Ratna Bantara Munti from the Association of
Indonesian Women for Justice (LBH APIK) demanded that lawmakers
put the bills on human trafficking, marriage and rape on the
priority list.
"The House must also deliberate on the health bill, especially
the protection of a woman's reproductive rights," she said.