Misuse of House facilities said to be 'no big deal'

Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The misuse of rooms and facilities in the House of Representatives building by political parties for purposes other than their legislative duties is widespread, but legislators appear to find nothing wrong with the practice.

On Thursday, the Golkar Party held a meeting to prepare for its leadership meeting scheduled for Oct. 17 through Oct. 19 in the meeting room of the House's defense and security commission, which also functions as a meeting room for the Golkar faction.

Dozens of Golkar members, many of them not legislators, attended the gathering.

Golkar had invited 119 members involved in the preparations for the leadership meeting and the 2004 general elections, but many of them did not show up.

The party's headquarters is situated in Slipi, West Jakarta, some two kilometers west of the House building.

Some Golkar members, who requested anonymity, acknowledged that the use of the room was wrong and said they would not repeat the mistake in the future.

Golkar legislator Yasril Ananta Baharuddin revealed that it was the fifth time such a meeting had taken place in the House building.

He said that the decision was taken for practical reasons, arguing that the room was a convenient place to meet for all concerned.

Mohammad Hatta, the chairman of the Golkar faction and also of the steering committee organizing the Golkar leadership meeting, said the room was vacant because the House was still in a recess.

"Our colleagues from other parties have also used rooms in the House for their own purposes," Hatta said.

There is nothing in the House's standing orders to ban the practice.

According to House deputy speaker AM Fatwa of the National Mandate Party, the problem was not a serious one.

"No big deal. A meeting of a House faction is basically a meeting of a political party, anyway," Fatwa told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

He said there was a consensus among House factions that each of the political parties were allowed to use rooms in the House for whatever purposes they saw fit.

He compared the practice with state officeholders who used state facilities in the interests of their respective parties.

"It is common for Cabinet ministers to meet their constituents or to carry out party work while they are on official visits," said Fatwa.