Legislators call on govt to reverse utility rate policy

Legislators call on govt to reverse utility rate policy

Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta, Jakarta

A number of legislators declared on Monday a caucus aimed at
pressuring the government to reverse its decision to raise
telephone and electricity tariffs and increase fuel prices, and
other controversial policies.

They pledged to initiate moves to exercise hak angket
(investigation rights) over the price rises.

"We feel the credibility of the political elite now is very
low as they don't care about the people's interests," said
legislator Meliono Suwondo of the Indonesian Democratic Party of
Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), headed by President Megawati
Soekarnoputri.

Aside from Meliono, legislators declaring the establishment of
the caucus included Julius Usman of PDI Perjuangan, A.M. Fatwa
and Alvin Lie of the National Mandate Party (PAN), Marwah Daud
Ibrahim of the Golkar Party, Ali Masykur Musa of the National
Awakening Party (PKB) and Lukman Hakim Saifuddin of the United
Development Party (PPP).

Last Sunday, the legislators gathered at the residence of Kwik
Kian Gie, the State Minister of National Development
Planning/Bappenas chairman, a strong critic of the present
Cabinet.

They called on the government to reverse the price rise policy
and the exoneration of bankers who allegedly misused hundreds of
trillions of rupiah.

The legislators said they would also press the government to
review its privatization policy and adopt a combined proportional
and open-list system in the 2004 general elections.

Meliono said current leaders and the political elite were no
longer fighting for the interests of their constituents but their
own.

"The hike of utility prices, the release and discharge policy,
the non-transparent process of privatization, and the persistence
to keep convicted House Speaker (Akbar Tandjung) are all hurting
the people," Meliono said in a press conference.

Akbar, who is also chairman of Golkar, a political bandwagon
used by former dictator Soeharto to preserve his power for more
than three decades, was sentenced to three years in jail for
misappropriating state funds worth Rp 40 billion (US$4.5
million). He is free pending appeal.

The government raised fuel and electricity prices and
telephone rates last Wednesday to finance the 2003 state budget.
Trade unions, business people, students and non-governmental
organizations, however, rejected the move, saying the decision
was too much of a burden on the people.

Meliono said the caucus was not aimed at toppling Megawati,
but encouraging state institutions to pay more attention to
people's needs.

"I believe people in the country will support us," he said,
adding other legislators were welcomed to join the group.

Meanwhile, legislator Alvin said the group doubted the
government's commitment to establishing clean governance as
corruption was still rampant, and many policies like release and
discharge, and utility price hikes were not transparent.

"How can the government release businessmen who have debts of
hundreds of trillion of rupiah to the government, from crime
charges, but at the same time increase the prices of utilities?"
he asked.

A release and discharge order is issued to free debtors of
criminal charges.

Alwin also said the government did not carry out a proper
privatization process, citing the Indosat sale, which according
to him was too cheap.

Ali Masykur concurred with Alvin, saying it would initiative
moves to summon and investigate the government over its
controversial policies.

The House's investigation rights over one issue only requires
10 legislators as initiators, but the House's plenary session
will decide whether or not to accept the proposal.

Some legislators earlier sought to exercise their angket right
to investigate Megawati's donation to the military early in 2002
but failed as they could not mobilize sufficient support from
fellow legislators.

The caucus reminisced a similar move initiated by Kwik in
November 2000. It strongly criticized then president Abdurrahman
Wahid's poor performance, and called on the People's Consultative
Assembly (MPR) to hold a special session to unseat him.

At the Special Session on July 2001, most of the MPR
legislators voted to oust Wahid and instituted Megawati, then the
vice president, as president.