Jakarta – House of Representatives leaders have defended a system of sending lawmakers overseas on comparative study visits, shrugging off criticism the trips are unnecessary and costly.
House Speaker Marzuki Alie told journalists Wednesday that activists and political observers should not see the junkets as "always negative". He said critics should also "acknowledge the House members' rights".
"We are talking about study visits crucial to the process of finalizing certain bills, which need to be done in a comprehensive manner. In the long run, this is going to be important for the country," Marzuki said.
About 30 legislators – 15 from House Commission X on education and tourism, and the rest from House Commission IV overseeing agriculture, were reported to have left the country on Tuesday to conduct comparative studies on scouting and horticulture.
The House Commission X contingency was to visit South Africa, South Korea and Japan for two weeks, and the group from House Commission IV were to travel to the Netherlands and Norway on a three-week trip.
The Indonesian Forum for Budget Transparency, known as Fitra, said Tuesday the five trips cost a total of Rp 3.7 billion (US$410,700), with the visit to Norway being the most expensive at Rp 877 million.
Fitra also criticized the House members who insisted on conducting such trips, saying their argument that the comparative studies were important was misleading.
Fitra said the formulation of the bills on scouting and horticulture could be completed without the study tours because the special legislative staff involved in the drafting process had completed their work.
Fitra investigation coordinator Uchok Sky Khadafi told The Jakarta Post that the House should spend the state budget wisely.
"I'm questioning the effectiveness of these visits, especially as only a small number of the touring legislators are able to speak English fluently. It would be really embarrassing if they had to talk with their foreign counterparts," Uchok added.
Marzuki, who is from the Democratic Party, said Fitra should not judge the value of the trips purely on how much they cost.
"Please don't see it from that angle. The trips have been arranged according to the legislative working visits programs, which are regulated by the Finance Ministry," Marzuki said.
He said people should not make a fuss about the travel costs. "Please ask the House Secretariat about the figures. They can tell you whether the trips used all the money budgeted for them or not," Marzuki said.
Deputy Speaker Pramono Anung pointed out that many legislators had not traveled overseas and seen "the outside world".
"We have to be honest about that. But this is not about leisure. They're tasked with formulating bills, and therefore they need to understand certain problems that exist not only locally but also in other countries," Pramono said.
Pramono said he would have preferred if the group from Commission X had traveled to a more developed country, such as Canada, rather than South Africa, to study scouting because the Scout Movement was more developed there.
"The problem is that Canada did not accept [the proposal]," Pramono said. (tsy)