Plan to reintroduce recall mechanism meets opposition
Plan to reintroduce recall mechanism meets opposition
Muhammad Nafik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
A plan to allow political parties to dismiss dissenting members
from legislative bodies ran into strong opposition from analysts
on Friday, who argued that the move would revive authoritarianism
among the parties.
Minister of Home Affairs Hari Sabarno said on Thursday that
the new bill on the composition of the House of Representatives
(DPR) and the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) authorized
political parties to unseat their legislators for perceived
infractions.
He also said the bill would require the House to establish a
disciplinary committee to supervise the performance and conduct
of its members.
Analysts warned that such a move would threaten the country's
young democracy and stifle the people's political rights.
"We should reject the draft as it will establish a new
authoritarianism among party leaders, just as happened during the
New Order regime," Fachry Ali told The Jakarta Post on Friday.
During the leadership of former strongman Soeharto,
legislators critical of government policies were arbitrarily
recalled from the House by their respective parties.
Under the MPR composition bill, House members would have to
surrender their seats should the party they represent dismiss
them.
At present, a legislator is allowed to retain his or her House
membership despite having been fired from his or her party.
Hartono Mardjono and Abdul Kadir Djaelani, both from the
Crescent Star Party (PBB), and Abdul Khaliq Ahmad of the National
Awakening Party (PKB) are among those who are still sitting in
the House as independents, even though they have been fired by
their respective parties.
"The parties cannot dismiss their legislators as they have
been given a mandate by their constituents," added Fachry,
director of the Institute for the Study and Advancement of
Business Ethics (LSPEU Indonesia).
Political analyst Bachtiar Effendi voiced similar opposition
to the bill.
"There should be no mechanism for dismissing legislators
unless they have been found guilty of committing crimes,"
Bachtiar said.
"Such a bill should not be passed as it will allow parties to
behave arbitrarily against their more non-conformist members in
the House," he added.
Bachtiar said parties should sanction dissenting legislators
by not renominating them at the subsequent election.
However, he backed a move to set up a disciplinary committee
to supervise the conduct of legislators in carrying out their
duties.
Bachtiar said such a committee should be aimed at "putting
pressure" on legislators deemed guilty of violating the House
code of conduct to resign their seats voluntarily.
Another observer, Andi Malarangeng, said the committee, not
the political parties, should be allowed to dismiss legislators
found breaching the code of conduct.
"Like in the United States, it is possible for a congressional
disciplinary committee to unseat legislators," he said.