New building should bolster House performance: Speaker
New building should bolster House performance: Speaker
JAKARTA (JP): A new office building, once completed next year, should bolster the performance of legislators in representing the people, Speaker of the House of Representatives Wahono said yesterday.
Wahono met with President Soeharto at the latter's Bina Graha presidential office to discuss the final preparations for the construction of the Rp 116 billion ($50 million) 24-story building in the House's huge complex in the Senayan district.
If everything goes as planned, House members will be able to move in by March next year, Wahono said.
Among the main features of the new office building, which has a total space of 55,662 square meters, are the spacious conference rooms for every faction in the House, rooms for the House leaders, and a 24-square-meter room each for the 500 House members.
In comparison, under the present facility, a 24-square meter room is used by 10 people, he said.
There will also be rooms for expert aides to legislators who will help House members formulate bills.
"If you've been questioning why hasn't the House ever initiated a bill, that's because for that kind of work, House members need the assistance of experts," Wahono told reporters.
"That's why I'm optimistic that with the new facility, the House members will have the ability to initiate new bills," he said.
All the legislations passed by the House since 1965 have been initiated by the government, lending credence to the accusations that the House is a mere rubber stamp for the government.
The new building is being financed entirely from the state budget. The contractor is Citra Adijoyo Operation which is a joint venture between state-owned contractor PT Adikarya and PT Citra Lamtorogung, a private company owned by President Soeharto's eldest daughter Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana.
Wahono said he has also secured the President's approval to finance the construction of an Rp 3.8 billion mosque inside the House complex .
On another matter, Wahono said the chaos on the roads, bus terminals, ferry ports and railway stations seen during the Idul Fitri holiday this past week reflected the lack of discipline among the people.
"The National Discipline Movement launched since last year has been mere lip service," he said.
Given Indonesia's strong paternal tradition, it is the people in high government positions who should begin the discipline drive and the rest of the people will be bound to follow, he said.
"It seems like a small thing but that is the reality about discipline," he said. (01)