House ruling on dual role proposed to avoid rifts

House ruling on dual role proposed to avoid rifts

A'an Suryana, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A legal expert on Saturday urged legislators deliberating a bill
on politics and the general elections to include an article
prohibiting members of political parties from holding public
office at the same time.

Such a ban was badly needed, as a dual role would only cause
losses to the public because, in most cases, it would be hard for
politicians to avoid conflicts of interest said Satya Arinanto, a
law lecturer at the University of Indonesia.

The principle of meritocracy, for example, was currently being
denied within the life of the bureaucracy, thereby keeping the
public from getting the best, most honest and effective public
servants, said Satya.

"Currently, there is a common practice by which the
politicians are competing to include their colleagues from their
own parties to serve in public office -- even including in the
second-tier echelons of the bureaucracy," Satya said in a weekend
discussion on good governance here.

The presence of the politicians in some levels of bureaucracy
is dangerous, she added, since they are prone to abusing the
power for the sake of their party's interests.

The bureaucracy also increasingly becomes ineffective,
especially if the politicians have no skills at all in public
administration.

Therefore, in a bid to pursue an honest and effective
bureaucracy and avoid bigger losses, the legislators must work
out a regulation to ban such a dual role.

"The legislators can include an article on the banning of the
dual role in the bill on politics and general election, currently
being deliberated at the House," he said.

The dual role issue came to the surface recently after the
chairman of the National Resilience Institution (Lemhannas),
Ermaya, criticized the politicians for concurrently holding
chairmanship posts at public offices.

According to Ermaya, besides the conflict of interests, the
dual role would make politicians unable to focus on their public
jobs.

So far, many top politicians are holding such dual roles.

They include President Megawati Soekarnoputri, who is also the
chair of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI
Perjuangan), Vuce President Hamzah Haz, who leads the United
Development Party (PPP), Yusril Ihza Mahendra, the Minister of
Justice and Human Rights who is also the chairman of the Crescent
Star Party (PBB), chairman of Indonesian National Mandate Party
(PAN) Amien Rais who is also the People's Consultative Assembly
(MPR) speaker and House of Representatives Speaker and Golkar
Party chairman Akbar Tandjung.

Despite the call, however, another speaker at the seminar,
M.S. Ka'ban, confirmed that Yusril would not resign from his
position as the chairman of his party.

"So far, there is no discussion yet within our party,
concerning the issue," said Ka'ban, who is also the secretary-
general of PBB.

Ka'ban argued that the dual role would not bring losses to the
people, since during the current reform and transparency era, the
existing system could easily prevent politicians from abusing
power for their own interests.

"Should politicians abuse their power for party interests, the
media will closely scrutinize them, so the party will not get as
many votes in the next election," Ka'ban said.

Separately, PAN secretary-general Hatta Rajasa said he
personally suggested that Amien Rais keep his post in the party.

"I object to Pak Amien's wish to resign as party leader
because we are still badly in need of him. I am not the only
party member who is against his plan," said Hatta, who is also
the State Minister for Research and Technology/Chairman of the
Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT).

PAN executives delayed until next week the deliberation of
Amien's plan to quit the party and focus on the legislative jobs.