Intention to restructure legislators' pay condemned
Kurniawan Hari and A'an Suryana, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The covert plan to boost legislators' pension payouts by 30 percent has drawn strong condemnation as it was done at a time when the performance of legislators is under fire.
Indonesian Corruption Watch coordinator Teten Masduki, and Tommi Legowo of the Society concerned with the Indonesian Parliament said the salary restructuring was not commensurate with the legislators' poor performance in the House of Representatives.
Despite the promise by House Speaker Akbar Tandjung earlier this year that the House would pass 22 bills into law before the end of the current session on March 28, some of the bills are currently still in the early process of deliberation.
A staff member at the House's secretariat, who wished to remain anonymous, disclosed that out of the 22 bills only 10 would likely be completed.
Though the House recently endorsed 10 bills on the establishment of 22 regencies throughout the country, they were not part of the 22 bills mentioned by Akbar.
"The restructuring of the salaries will not substantially increase the legislators' salaries, but it means a lot amid the absence of any significant achievements," Teten told The Jakarta Post.
Tommi said on Thursday it was indecent for the legislators to discuss salary restructuring, instead of properly carrying out their responsibilities.
"Rather than planning the salary restructuring, they should concentrate on major issues. They must talk about how to help people out of the crisis," Tommi said.
Both Teten and Tommi made the remarks in response to the plan by the House's Household Affairs Body to transform certain parts of the legislator's salary allowances into the basic salary so that they would get more pension funds after ceasing work at the DPR.
Currently, legislators' take-home pay reaches Rp 11.8 million per month, consisting of Rp 4.2 million in basic salary and Rp 7.6 million in allowances. The restructuring plan will raise the pension payments by 30 percent.
Teten said that the plan would imply that the legislators were merely focused on self interest amid mounting public demand to complete legislative tasks, including the deliberation of bills.
"Amid more urgent tasks, they are busy working out trivial things for their own benefit," he said, adding that what was done by the legislators was mostly against the people's interests.
Teten said that the House members should be aware that their popularity was diminishing day by day as highlighted by newspaper and research center polls.
Cases which had tarnished the House's image included money politics and the high profile Rp 40 billion scandal involving funds from the State Logistics Agency (Bulog).
The diminishing credibility is feared to undermine people's trust, thereby discouraging them from trusting normal political procedure.
Teten said should this mistrust and resentment increase it would force people to push their demands through other means.
"If the public no longer have any trust to DPR, they may air their resentment through street protests," he said.
Meanwhile, chairman of House's Legislation Body Zein Badjeber said that the House had been tasked to finish the deliberation of 64 bills this year.
"We talk about yearly programs, not certain targets. That number possibly rises due to the urgent need for revision of the political laws," Badjeber told the Post.
He expressed optimism that the House would be able to carry out its duties properly.