'House lacks priority in bill deliberation'

'House lacks priority in bill deliberation'

M. Taufiqurrahman, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The lack of priority in bill deliberations by the House of
Representatives (DPR) has resulted in the endorsement of only a
few bills, most of which suffers a number of shortcomings and
will thus be subject to further debate, a legal affairs watchdog
says.

Worse still, the deliberation of bills has become the battle
ground for political parties to further their own short-term
interests, instead of the interests of the people.

The Center for Law and Policy Study (PSHK) said recently in a
statement that during the first half of this year, the House was
too busy with political wranglings between factions to pursue
their own interests, as was evident in the Sukhoi probe and the
horse trading that marred the deliberation of the presidential
election bill.

It also said the lack of priority had thus made the House
susceptible to following agendas brought forth by interested
parties.

PSHK Executive Director Bivitri Susanti said the House had no
such thing as a priority list, and instead had only a to-do list
for short-term objectives.

"It indicates that the House has no integrated view on the
improvement of the country's legal system," she said at a seminar
here.

House Speaker Akbar Tandjung said earlier that due to an
obligation to fight for their own constituents, it was impossible
for factions and legislators to put aside their political
interests in deliberating bills.

Bivitri said at times, the House and in particular, the
government, were subject to foreign interference in the
deliberation of bills.

"It is very clear that strong pressure from certain countries
and powerful financial organizations were involved in the
deliberation of the bills on intellectual property rights and
money laundering," she said.

The U.S. government had put pressure on Indonesia over the
widespread infringement of intellectual property rights. It had
also considered imposing economic sanctions on the country if it
failed to curb the unchecked piracy.

The government also moved quickly to revise Law No. 15/2002 on
money laundering to meet the Sept. 30 deadline set by the
European Union-backed Financial Action Task Force on Money
Laundering.

The same holds true for the Antiterrorism Law, which was
drafted while the Indonesian government was riding on the
coattails of the U.S.-led campaign against terrorism.

The House has frequently been under fire for its sluggishness
in producing laws, always missing its legislation target since
Jan. 2002.

Of the targeted 41 bills in the April-July 2003 session, the
House only endorsed five bills. Legislators and the government
had to work while in recess to meet the deadline for the
establishment of the Constitutional Court.

Among the bills to be finished during the current session --
from Aug. 15 to Sept. 26 -- are bills on Batam's free trade and
open port, agriculture, medical professionals, the protection of
overseas workers and sports.

Didi Supriyanto, a legislator from the Indonesian Democratic
Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) faction, offered the excuse
that the poor legislation record was due to the lack of resources
at the House's disposal.

"Only 20 percent of House members have adequate legislative
skills. And some of them work on two or three special committees
to deliberate bills," he said, and that 80 percent of legislators
of Commission II on legal affairs were also members of several
special committees.

He also said the House Legislation Body was not provided with
enough expert staff to help with the legal drafting, while
blaming the government for its tardiness in appointing relevant
ministers to deliberate House bills.