Legislators vow to empower DPD

Legislators vow to empower DPD

Kurniawan Hari
The Jakarta Post
Jakarta

As the House of Representatives (DPR) prepares to deliberate the
bill on the composition of the People's Consultative Assembly
(MPR), the DPR, the Regional Representatives Councils (DPD) and
the Regional Legislatures (DPRD), some lawmakers pledged on
Wednesday to fight for the empowerment of the DPD.

They stressed that any attempt to make the DPD less powerful
than the DPR was ill-conceived as it did not fit with any
bicameral parliamentary system commonly practiced in the world.

MPR Regional Representatives Faction (FUD) chairman Oesman
Sapta said the DPD should be given more power in legislation and
supervision roles.

He said the DPD should be given power to take part in the
deliberations of various bills.

"We must not rely on political parties for everything," Oesman
said, referring to DPR members who often fought for their
respective political interests.

Syafrin Romas of the National Awakening Party (PKB) concurred,
saying the DPD and DPR should share equal powers as members of
both legislative councils would be elected.

"If we want to adopt the bicameral system, the authority of
the DPD and DPR should be equal," he said, adding that Indonesia
was half-hearted in adopting the system.

Indonesia decided to adopt the bicameral system when it
approved the last amendment to the 1945 Constitution in August,
2002.

The new system will modify the structure of the MPR. Currently
the MPR consists of the DPR, regional representatives, the
Interest Group as well as the Military and Police, of which only
DPR members are elected. Under the bicameral system, the MPR will
consist of elected DPR and DPD members.

Both the amended Constitution and the draft bill on the
composition of the MPR, DPR, DPRD and DPD prescribe marginal
roles for the DPD compared to its counterpart, the DPR.

The DPD's role, for example, is limited to submitting bills
and suggestions to the House, but is not involved in
deliberations.

The DPD has the right to submit bills, especially those
connected to regional autonomy, relations between central and
regional administrations, the establishment of new
administrations, natural resources management and fiscal balance.

The DPD may also submit input to the DPR on the state budget
and bills on taxation, education and religion. All input should
be submitted to the DPR before deliberations with government
officials begin.

Constitutional experts Harun Alrasyid and Jimly Ashiddiqie
criticized the limited role of the DPD, saying the bicameral
system Indonesia was going to adopt was not like the system
commonly applied in other countries.

One article in the amended Constitution stipulates that the
total number of DPD members should not exceed one-third of the
DPR members. Currently, there are 500 legislators in the House.

Syafrin said this stipulation had put the DPD in a lower
position compared to the DPR. If the legislators had to vote on a
certain issue, the DPD's opinion would certainly be defeated, he
said.

Oesman said he would call on fellow legislators to empower the
DPD, especially by giving its members a chance to take part in
the deliberation of the state budget and bills.

Golkar leader Theo L. Sambuaga, meanwhile, said that he agreed
with attempts to empower the DPD so it had an equal position with
the DPR.

Theo emphasized that clauses in the amended Constitution were
subject to revision in the future.

"For now, we have to follow stipulations in the Constitution,"
he said.