House to debate ten bills during current session

JAKARTA (JP): The House of Representatives is due to debate 10 bills during its current session which lasts till mid-December.

House Speaker Akbar Tandjung in his official address at the opening of the House's second session on Monday, said that priority would be given to a bill on free trade and free ports, and a bill on the Sabang-Aceh free trade and free port which would replace Government Regulations in Lieu of Law (Perpu) No. 1 and 2/2000.

"We will intensively discuss the bills and (hope) to pass them into law. By enacting these laws, it is expected that the country's foreign trade can be further enhanced in the future," he remarked.

The other bills due to be discussed include bills which were not completed during the previous session.

These are bills on regional enlargement, the establishment of Banten province, industrial disputes' settlement, labor protection, foundations, intellectual property rights, the human rights tribunal, and broadcasting.

"We hope to complete discussion of the bills by the end of the session in December," Akbar, who is also chairman of the Golkar Party, later told reporters.

Asked why the planned presidential bill was not included in the agenda of the session, he said the bill is still being drafted.

"The presidential bill will be submitted this session as an initiative of the House although it might be discussed next year," Akbar explained.

He claimed that the material for the presidential bill was basically ready, but it still needed to be synchronized to avoid controversy.

He said the bill would regulate, among other things, the prerogative rights of a president.

"But the submission of the bill should not wait for an amendment of the Constitution," Akbar remarked.

Meanwhile, Yasril Ananta Baharuddin, chairman of the House's Commission I on political, security, foreign and presidential affairs, said: "the bill will be submitted by friends in the House. It will not be the government's initiative".

Many analysts believe that the movement to introduce the presidential bill has gained momentum in response to the enigmatic behavior of President Abdurrahman Wahid. (jun)