House to focus on budget revision

Tony Hotland, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

After a five-week recess, the House of Representatives kicked off on Monday its fourth sitting period, which will focus on the deliberation of the state budget revision and the bill on disaster management.

Over the next 10 weeks, the House also will prioritize bills on the 2005-2025 national development program and the establishment of religious courts in the provinces of North Maluku, Banten, Gorontalo and Bangka Belitung.

The revision of the 2005 state budget became a top priority following the government's decision to increase fuel prices earlier this year by an average of 29 percent.

By raising fuel prices, the government significantly changed a number of assumptions in the state budget, particularly regarding the fuel subsidy and the budgets of a number of departments and ministries.

The House also is scheduled to begin preliminary talks on the 2006 state budget, said House Speaker Agung Laksono, who presided over Monday's plenary session.

He said the House also considered the bill on disaster management of paramount importance following several natural disasters over the past few months, including the magnitude 9.0 earthquake and subsequent tsunami that devastated Aceh, claiming over 125,000 lives.

Enacting the law is essential to provide a legal basis for coordinated and swift responses to natural disasters, Agung said.

The House also is expected to discuss a bill on the 2003 state budget calculation, which was suspended pending a report from the Supreme Audit Agency.

During the current session, the House will work to nominate new deputy governors for Bank Indonesia and new members for the General Elections Commission. As for the much-anticipated judicial commission, the House is still waiting the government to complete the selection process for prospective members.

The House will also proceed with a request filed by a group of legislators for inquires into the government's fuel policy, the sale of state oil and gas firm Pertamina's super tankers and illegal sugar imports.

The House expressed on Monday its regret over a Constitutional Court decision allowing the court to review laws enacted before the first amendment of the Constitution.

"Law No. 24/2003 on the Constitutional Court only allows the court to review laws enacted after the first amendment. Therefore, it is about time the House started discussing the relationship among state institutions," said Agung.

The House is scheduled this year to deliberate 55 bills included in the National Legislation Program, which is a reference for legislators in the law-making process.

The 55 bills are among the 284 bills tabled for deliberation during the 2005-2009 period.

Other bills scheduled for deliberation this year:

1. On the Presidency
2. On the Presidential Advisory Board
3. On Ministerial Offices
4. On the Revision of the Criminal Code
5. On Immigration
6. On Citizenship
7. On the Elimination of Racial and Ethnic Discrimination
8. On the Protection of Witnesses
9. On State Borders
10. On State Secrecy
11. On the Capital Market
12. On Freedom of Information
13. On Health
14. On Sports
14. On Teachers
15. On Human Trafficking