Watchdog calls on House to stop deliberating TNI bill
Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta
The Parliament Watchdog joined the opposition to the amended bill on the Indonesian Military (TNI) on Friday, calling on the House of Representatives not to push for a deliberation due to time constraints.
The non-governmental organization said the limited time available for the deliberation would degrade the quality of the legislation, which deals with crucial matters.
"There should be a certain consideration as to why both the government and the lawmakers decided to speed up the deliberation within just a month," Parliament Watch chairman Tommy A. Legowo told The Jakarta Post.
The House has set a target of completing the debate within a month, starting on Aug. 24, to allow military representatives in the legislative body to take part in the deliberation of a bill that deals with their institution. The House and the People's Consultative Assembly will no longer reserve seats for the military and police after the current lawmakers complete their tenure at the end of September.
Instead of forming an inter-commission team, the House leaders have entrusted the House's Commission I on security and defense to deliberate the bill.
Tommy said the decision to debate the bill in a limited group would merely deprive the public of access to the decision-making process albeit the gravity of its contents.
"How could the important regulation be discussed in a limited group? I wish lawmakers would drop their plan before they cause damage that affects the public," Tommy said.
T. Hari Prihantono of the non-governmental organization Pro Patria said President Megawati had violated Law No. 30/2002 on state defense when she assigned the office of the Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs to review the draft, instead of the Ministry of Defense which directly supervises the Military.
"All matters related to the TNI should be endorsed by the Ministry of Defense because Law No. 30/2002 says so. By letting another government office deal with the TNI's interests, the government is in violation of the law," Hari told a discussion held by a Nahdlatul Ulama think-tank on Friday.
The bill has been criticized for allowing the Military to maintain its territorial function.
The defense ministry's director general of strategic defense Maj. Gen. Sudrajat said the government had not violated any law because the formulation of the bill involved his ministry and other related ministries.
Defense minister Matori Abdul Djalil has been sick since last year, with the office of coordinating minister for political and security affairs taking over decision-making about strategic policies.