Retired House members spoiled

Retired House members spoiled

From Bisnis Indonesia

I agree with Laica Marzuki, a constitutional law expert of Hasanuddin University, who said the government should review the pension of members of the House of People's Representatives (DPR) because it is much higher than the pension received by civil servants (civilian and military) with decades of service.

Take my case, for example. I retired in 1992 after dedicating myself to the civil service for 37 years, but my monthly pension only amounts to Rp 515,000.

By comparison, the monthly pension received by a member of the DPR with a five-year tenure is an average of Rp 2.5 million. This is injustice indeed.

There will be greater injustice still considering that former members of the DPR will receive life-long pensions, irrespective of their age when they retire from the House. If a legislator retires at the age of 40 and lives to the age of 80, he will receive a pension for four decades. In the case of civil servants, it is stipulated that they retire at the age of 56.

So, obviously the payment of pensions to former members of the House not only shows injustice but also inflicts losses to the state. Does the government wish to continue pampering House members?

For the sake of justice, allow me to propose that the government immediately issue a government regulation which regulates and reviews House members' pensions. It must be borne in mind that they do not deserve special treatment and should not enjoy much higher appreciation than retired civil servants who have dedicated themselves to the civil service for decades.

Pensions extended to retired House members must be linked with the period of their tenure as House members and with their age when they retire from the House. It may be better, perhaps, if House members completing their service at the House are given severance pay of a sort rather than pensions.

Another thing of significance is that the salaries and pensions of civil servants (civilian and military) must be raised by at least 50 percent in the 1999/2000 fiscal year. An increase of 20 percent means little indeed, just like a single drop of water in a desert.

SUHARSONO HADIKUSUMO

Jakarta