House delays endorsing water bill
House delays endorsing water bill
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
House Commission IV for settlement and telecommunications failed
on Wednesday to endorse the controversial water resource bill,
ordering the Ministry of Settlement and Infrastructure to promote
the draft among other state ministries and the public sectors
that have opposed the bill.
Sumaryoto, who chairs the commission, said in a hearing with
the Ministry of Settlement and Infrastructure that nine of 11
factions in the commission thought it imperative that the
ministry promote the bill among government institutions, the
public, and House members.
"Commission IV considers that more time must be allocated to
promote the bill before each faction makes its conclusions.
"The government must promote the bill among government
institutions and the people to produce a more comprehensive
legislation, in order to reduce possible conflicts and public
resistance," he told the hearing.
Sumaryoto said the commission was expected to endorse the bill
in mid January, before handing it over to the House Steering
Committee (Bamus) for authorization.
Once endorsed by Bamus, the bill would be submitted to the
House plenary meeting for approval.
Minister of Settlement and Infrastructure Soenarno, who
strongly supports the bill, insisted that all government
institutions involved in the deliberation of the bill had agreed
to it.
However, no representatives of the National Development
Planning Agency (Bappenas) or the Ministry of Energy and Mineral
Resources attended the hearing on Wednesday, which was scheduled
to approve the bill.
Some representatives of the energy ministry walked out during
a meeting on Wednesday with Commission IV's special team, which
is tasked to ensure that the wording in the bill is consistent
after the bill was deliberated by the committee, two weeks ago.
During the hearing, legislator Amri Husni Siregar of the
Reform faction said more time was needed to promote the bill
across the country because farmers and the people, who are the
biggest users of water, continued to oppose it.
However, fellow legislator Karimun Usman and Markam of the
Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) faction rejected
Amri's argument, saying that Commission IV had given sufficient
time for public scrutiny.
Legislator M. Rosyid Hidayat of the Reform faction said that
the Commission IV may still change several controversial articles
of the 100 articles in the bill.
But legislator Erwin Pardede of PDI-P faction rejected his
statement, saying that "the government only needs more time to
communicate to the public the content of the bill".
"The bill deliberation is over," he told reporters after the
hearing.
Simon L. Himawan, the Bappenas' director of water resources
and irrigation, welcomed Commission IV's decision to postpone the
bill's approval.
"It is a reality that some people, mostly water users like
farmers, continue to oppose the bill. The House must take into
consideration their opposition. It would not be funny if people
requested for a judicial review at the Constitutional Court soon
after the House approved the bill," he said.
The House earlier ordered the postponement of the bill's
deliberation due to ongoing debate over the bill, the crux of the
debate focussing on water as an economic commodity rather than
social commodity.
The government has admitted that the bill's endorsement is
connected with the last disbursement of a US$300 million loan,
under the World Bank-sponsored Water Resources Sector Adjustment
Loan (Watsal).
The government made a commitment with the World Bank on WATSAL
in 1999, when the government faced severe financial difficulties
due to the economic crisis.
The remaining $150 million would be disbursed once Indonesia
completed its water reform initiative, including the
privatization of the water sector.
The World Bank has indicated that they may not disburse the
third and last trance should Indonesia fail to produce a bill on
water resources that meets a 1999 commitment on reform of policy
on water resources.