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.