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.