House ends session, only 13 bills endorsed
Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta
The House of Representatives closed its two-and-a half-month long session with Speaker Akbar Tandjung boasting that the legislators had been able to finish deliberating 13 bills.
Akbar delivered his closing speech at a House plenary session attended by around 100 of the 500 legislators in the House.
He said that House members were committed to continuing the deliberations of more than 40 unfinished bills in the next sitting period, which will be the legislators' last session before their term ends.
The House will go into recess from July 17 through Aug. 15 and will have the last sitting period from Aug. 16 through September.
New legislators resulting from the April 5 general election will be sworn in on Oct. 1.
"House leaders commend some committees that will continue their work during the recess," said Akbar, who was accompanied by deputies Soetardjo Soerjogoeritno of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), Tosari Widjaja of the United Development Party (PPP), Muhaimin Iskandar of the National Awakening Party (PKB) and A.M. Fatwa of the National Mandate Party (PAN).
Akbar, Golkar Party leader, said the 13 bills were among the 39 bills endorsed by the House in the period between August last year through July 2004. Of the 39 bills, seven of them were drafted by the House members.
He emphasized that House members had also taken part in the selection of Miranda S. Goeltom as senior deputy governor of Bank Indonesia, 14 candidates for Supreme Court justices and 21 candidates for State Audit Agency (BPK) members.
Earlier in the day, the House endorsed a bill on the ratification of an international protocol on biodiversity that is expected to help create safe transfer and handling of transgenic organisms.
Spokespersons of House factions mostly suggested that the government disseminate information to the people on the benefit of the ratification.
Following the endorsement, Minister of the Environment Nabiel Makarim said on behalf of the government that his ministry was drafting a government regulation on the safety of genetically modified organisms (GMO).
Nabiel promised that the government would empower the regional administrations and the public in the policy-making on the release and the distribution of GMO.
Separately, a coalition of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) on biodiversity and food welcomed the ratification.
Tejo Wahyu Jatmiko, director of the National Consortium for the Forest and Nature Conservation (Konphalindo) said the ratification was a clear indication of the government's intention to protect the environment.
=============================================================== No. Bills deliberated and endorsed --------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Establishment of Bangka Belitung High Court 2. Establishment of North Maluku High Court 3. Establishment of Banten High Court 4. Establishment of Gorontalo High Court 5. Procedure to make laws 6. State finance audit and accountability 7. Ratification of the Kyoto Protocol on Climate Change 8. Plantations 9. Public Prosecution Service 10. Judicial Commission 11. Government regulation in-lieu-of law on forestry 12. Government regulation in-lieu-of law on elections 13. Ratification of the Cartagena Protocol on Biodiversity =============================================================== Source: The Jakarta Post