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.