House set to flunk legislation target, again

Tony Hotland, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The House of Representatives is well on its way to failing in its lawmaking function, with zero laws passed and only a few bills drafted since its 550 members took office in October.

Bitter political bickering among lawmakers, grouped into two rival camps opposed to and in support of the current government, has interfered with their legislative work.

During a plenary session on Tuesday, the House submitted bills on teachers and on the revision of Law No. 7/1989 on religious courts, for deliberation during the fourth sitting period that will end on July 8.

Earlier this month, the House announced that four other bills were scheduled to be discussed, namely one bill on the 2005 state budget revision, one on disaster management, one on the 2005-2025 national development program and one on the establishment of religious courts in North Maluku, Banten, Gorontalo and Bangka Belitung provinces.

The National Legislation Program, enacted by the House legislation body in January, consists of 284 bills that are prioritized for enactment during the 2005-2009 period as a reference for lawmakers in enacting laws.

Fifty-five bills have been prioritized for enactment over the course of this year, a task that remains far from completed.

House legislation body chairman Muhammad A.S. Hikam said chances were remote that the 55 bills would be passed this year, and put the blame on House commissions and the government.

The legislation body was tasked to come up with draft bills on its own initiative, but the main players in producing them were House commissions and the government, he said.

"We put out a list of bills prioritized for enactment. The realization is up to the House and the government, because they will be the ones to discuss and finalize the bills. We'll see if having a National Legislation Program helps the House to perform better," he said.

It was the legislation body, said Hikam, that produced the bill on the establishment of religious courts in four provinces.

"What's worse is that we racked our brains and went through the hassle of coming up with a bill, but we don't get to discuss it with the government as the job was given to a House commission instead," he said.

Among the 55 bills listed in the National Legislation Program are indeed pivotal ones, such as the revision of Law No. 17/2003 on state finances, on state secrecy, on freedom of information, on immigration and on witness protection.

Other bills are on health, on the capital market, on human trafficking, on forestry and on the revision of the Criminal Code.

"I got tired of reminding House Commission I (for information and security) to draft the bill on freedom of information, and it was all to no avail," said Hikam, a member of the commission.

He said the legislation body took the initiative to draft bills on the presidency, the presidential advisory board and on ministerial offices, all of which are also prioritized for this year.

The House's failure in its lawmaking function, and in other areas, is nothing new.

Lawmakers have been much criticized for being sluggish in carrying out their duties to produce comprehensive bills -- numerous revisions to and annulments of articles in laws by the Constitutional Court have been easy and common in the past year.

The House's plenary session on Tuesday was adjourned because fewer than 100 of its 550 members remained in their seats or even bothered to attend.