House to debate ten bills during current session
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)