Observers give thumbs down to new commission
Observers give thumbs down to new commission
Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Observers have warned the public not to be overly optimistic
about the newly established Constitutional Commission, saying
that the final say was still in the hands of the People's
Consultative Assembly (MPR).
The MPR set up the long-awaited Constitutional Commission on
Tuesday to harmonize the amendments that have been made to the
1945 Constitution, which, according to some analysts, are loaded
with compromises designed to favor the short-term political
interests of certain groups.
The commission, which has 31 members, will have seven months
to work on the Constitution.
However, as stipulated in the Constitution, their assessment
will serve as a second opinion only, with MPR members still
having the final say.
Hadar N. Gumay of the Center for Electoral Reform (Cetro) and
Marwan Mas from the Makassar-based 1945 University also noted the
selection of some figures known previously to be opposed to the
amendments, warning that their presence could jeopardize the
harmonization efforts.
They declined to give any names.
According to Hadar, only about one-third of the 31 members of
the Constitutional Commission have the necessary qualifications.
"If they are influential, the result of the assessment will be
excellent. But, I am afraid the other, less-qualified figures
will dominate the discussions," he told The Jakarta Post on
Tuesday.
Marwan concurred with Hadar, and added that the public would
question the commission's credibility if its members started
arguing the pros and cons of the amendments once again.
Bambang Widjojanto from the Partnership for Government Reform
said meanwhile that the commission would not answer the problems
faced by the public.
"It has been clear from the beginning that the Constitutional
Commission won't change anything," he said.
MPR speaker Amien Rais said that the commission's assessment
would not be binding but pledged to use its findings to improve
the newly amended Constitution.
"But, we hope the results will be good and Assembly members
will accept the outcome," he said.
The commission will start its work on Wednesday with the
selection of the chair and deputy chairs.
Commission member Maria Farida Indrati said the commission
would focus on ironing out various inconsistencies in the
Constitution.
For example, Maria said that Article 20 (5) of the amended
constitution urgently need revision.
Article 20 (5) says that a bill that has been approved by the
House will automatically enter into effect within 30 days if the
presidential consent is withheld.
She emphasized that every law must be consented to by the
President as it is the President who is held accountable for the
implementation of laws.