Anita Rachman – In an effort to better tackle graft, lawmakers and the government should complete the deliberation of the long-postponed Corruption Eradication Commission bill, governance watchdogs said on Thursday.
Although the bill was submitted to the House in its 2004-09 term and then listed as one of the priority bills for deliberation this year, House Commission III, tasked to formulate the bill, and the government have not yet begun the process.
Ronald Rofiandri, director of advocacy at the Center for Indonesian Law and Policy Studies (PSHK), said both sides had ignored the need to pass the legislation in a timely manner.
The bill would revise the current Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Law that formally established the Anti-Corruption Court. Its revision is regarded as important because the bill will determine the powers of the antigraft agency.
"They didn't even touch it [this year]," Ronald said. "2011 will be a test for both the government and the lawmakers. Questions remain over the legislators' and the government's commitment to passing the bill."
Other bills that could support the country's antigraft drive, Ronald said, would be the revision of the Government Administration Law, the employment bill and the procurement of goods and services bill.
The House has been heavily criticized for its poor lawmaking performance, passing only 16 laws this year out of an initial target of 70, with just eight of those passed in the 2010 priority list.
Emerson Yuntho, vice coordinator of Indonesian Corruption Watch, said demanding more legislation to combat corruption would be setting expectations too high because lawmakers had not even been able to complete the deliberation process for the bills on the 2010 priority list.
Emerson remained pessimistic in relation to the corruption bill, saying it needed to be discussed soon to expose the loopholes and other flaws.
"The draft is very weak in fighting corruption. What we need now is not too many laws, but one law that could be effective in combating corruption," he said.
"The House's record on legislation is very poor this year, I have doubts about them and the government as well," he said.
According to PSHK data, bills on the economy, politics and the judiciary dominate the 2011 priority list, with corruption taking a back seat.
The data shows that of the 70 prioritized bills, 25 percent of them concern the economy and 21 percent relate to politics and the judiciary.
Bills on social issues and culture account for 10 percent of the total. Priorities in the economics sector include the trade bill and an amendment to the Stock Market Law.
In the field of politics, the bill on the Human Rights Court is also expected to be deliberated. Also up for discussion next year is legislation on information and technology.
Ronald said that despite the government's expressed commitment to fight corruption, just one bill related to graft had made it onto the priority list.
Tjatur Sapto Edy, deputy chairman of Commission III, promised that it would focus on the Corruption Eradication Commission bill next year. "We are going to revise both the Corruption Eradication Law and the KPK Law," he said
Meanwhile, Syarifuddin Sudding, a Commission III member from the People's Conscience Party (Hanura), said he believed that members of the House were committed to the fight against corruption.
"You don't need to question our commitment," he said. "There is probably a minority [that do not share the commitment], but do not generalize all of us."
Syarifuddin said it was very important that the new law on corruption be passed next year because graft was still rampant, systemic and structured. He said the bill would help officials in their fight to eliminate graft.
"It is in the 2011 priority list, so we will work at it," he said.