Pay rise for legislators?

Benget Simbolon Tnb., Jakarta

The House of Representatives (DPR) recently proposed a salary increase for its members of almost 300 percent from Rp 12 million to Rp 35.3 million.

The proposal will be deliberated as part of the draft of next year's budget and its approval seems inevitable.

In fact, a number of legislative bodies in regencys and cities across the country have made similar requests. In Jakarta alone, legislators have enjoyed a pay rise of 320 percent since January from Rp 6.5 million to Rp 21 million per month.

After they take up office, legislators are more interested in their salaries than the issues of the day.

Some members claim to need additional funds to pay advisors, but the House already has a team of advisors who are ready to assist them.

Others claim to need more money to improve their performance and enhance their relations with their constituents. Since their performance is related to other government agencies, why do they not also demand a pay rise for all members of related institutions?

As matters stand, the 550 members of the House do not deserve to get a pay rise.

First, their performance so far does not entitle them to a rise. After more than six months in office, they have only managed to pass a revision of the 2005 budget. They were supposed to pass 55 bills this year, but so far not one has been passed. The 55 bills are among 284 drafts scheduled to be passed by the end of their term in 2009.

For sure, people still remember the promises the legislators made during the election campaigns last year. When do they start working to realize them? Or are they too busy to recall the promises of their own parties?.

Second, if we think of Indonesia as a company and House members as its employees, more light is shed on the issue. A company that is doing well considers rewarding its employees, a company facing hard times does not.

Compared to other countries in the Southeast Asian region, Indonesia's business climate remains poor as investors are staying away due to its record of corruption, red tape, higher labor costs and uncertainties in its legal system and security situation.

Because of the barriers, Indonesia has only undergone a shaky growth of about five percent, which is still two percentage points below the seven percent expected to be able to absorb the growing number of unemployed.

According to National Development Planning Board (Bappenas) data, due to the slow growth of the economy, the open unemployment rate over the last five years has been increasing from eight million (8.10 percent) in 2001, to 9.13 million (9.06 percent) in 2002, 9.53 million (9.50 percent) in 2003, 10.04 million (9.81 percent) in 2004 and is expected to be around 10.51 million (10.05 percent) this year.

According to the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), total unemployment, including people who are earning less than the basic wage, has now reached some 40 million people.

Of a population of 220 million people, 40 million are living under the poverty line. If the economy continues to grow at a slow rate, that number will continue to increase.

Due to poverty, for example, many families are unable to send their children to school or are forced to take their children out of school.

For others, the situation is even worse. They are unable to provide their children with healthy food, or enough food, as evident in the malnutrition cases recently reported.

Conditions are probably going to get worse due to the fuel crisis, which will very likely force the government to raise fuel prices to lessen the burden of the subsidies.

The increasing prices of fuel, with global oil prices hovering at US$60 per barrel, will certainly increase the budget deficit.

Considering this, how can House members have the heart to ask for a pay rise? Why do they not, as the people's representatives, prioritize tackling the problems faced by the country?

Do they not realize that Indonesia has been reduced to a poor country since it was hit by the multi-crisis of 1998?. Or has the get-rich-quick disease blurred their definitions of poverty and ethical behavior?

Perhaps, if that is the case, then they are included in the group of people whose definition of poverty is as follows: Pak Dullah is a poor man: His driver is poor, his gardener is poor, and his family's babysitter is also poor.

The author is a staff writer of The Jakarta Post.