Legislative monitor established

Legislative monitor established

JAKARTA (JP): Parliament Watch Indonesia (Parwi), a private
group which will monitor legislative bodies here, was founded on
Monday by, among others, 60 legal and political experts.

Members include political lecturer Arbi Sanit, law lecturer
Bagir Manan, former legislator Bambang Warih Koesoema and
philosopher Frans Magnis Suseno.

Parwi's chairman is Kemal Roemawi and its secretary-general is
Nabiel Makarim, who was previously in charge of the Environmental
Impact Management Agency (Bapedal).

At a ceremony to mark the founding of the organization at the
World Trade Center, Kemal expressed concern that the legislative
body did not make laws, and that most of the laws it deliberated
were formulated by the government.

He said Parwi's mission was to promote people's sovereignty
through the empowerment of the House of Representatives (DPR).
(rms)