House set to endorse bill on legislative bodies
House set to endorse bill on legislative bodies
Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The House of Representatives is expected to bring the bill on the
status and composition of legislative bodies, the fourth bill
needed for the elections, to a plenary meeting for endorsement on
Wednesday.
The bill will be the fifth of 41 bills the House promised to
endorse in the current 72-day sitting period. The House will go
on recess on Thursday and convene again on Aug. 14.
Of the targeted 43 bills in the October-November sitting
period last year, the House was able to finish only seven bills,
while in the January-March session the House was able to endorse
15 bills of 53 targeted.
Deputy House Speaker Muhaimin Iskandar of the National
Awakening Party (PKB) blamed the government earlier for its
tardiness in appointing related ministers to discuss the bill.
The House asked the government for more funds to help improve
its performance, but it was unable to improve its record.
Meanwhile, a special committee deliberating the bill on the
composition of legislative bodies agreed to all articles in the
bill after intensive discussion over a 45-day period.
"We will bring this (bill) to a plenary meeting for
endorsement," committee chairman Yahya Zaini of the Golkar
faction said at a hearing with Minister of Home Affairs Hari
Sabarno on Tuesday.
Unlike the deliberation of the presidential elections bill,
the debate on the composition of legislative bodies was
relatively easy.
Under the new bill, a House leader convicted of a crime is not
allowed to preside over House's meetings or to act as
spokesperson of the House.
The consensus was reached after lobbying among leaders of the
House's factions.
The bill also gives political parties the authority to recall
cadres for specific reasons, including if party members have
committed crimes or violated the House's code of ethics.
Regarding the newly introduced Regional Representatives
Council (DPD), politicians agreed to give limited authority to
the new legislative institution.
Based on the bill, the DPD has the right to provide inputs to
bills relating to regional autonomy to the House for discussion.
However, the DPD does not have the right to discuss the bill with
the government.
Minister of Home Affairs Hari Sabarno emphasized on Tuesday
that the bill was designed to improve the performance of the
legislative bodies, to boost the supervisory role, as well as to
improve the quality of future legislators.
"It is our responsibility to make all these ideas
materialize," the minister said.