Bagus BT Saragih, Jakarta – Two civil society coalitions threatened to file a lawsuit against the House of Representatives' leadership body over plan to construct a multi-million dollar office building critics claim would be too lavish.
Two coalitions of NGOs announced Sunday that the House's insistence in proceeding with the plan could be considered "a violation of the law and Constitution".
Seven NGOs grouped under the so-called Advocacy team for the State Budget for People's Prosperity Coalition demanded that the House officially cancel its plan to construct the new building within a week.
They also demanded legislators publicly apologize for failing to fulfill their legal obligations as the people's representatives, under which they should have prioritized public aspirations over the new building plan.
"Should they fail to meet our demands, we would file a lawsuit with the South Jakarta District Court against the President, the finance minister, House speakers and members of the House's Household Affairs Committee," Ridwan Darmawan, the spokesman for the team, said.
He cited a 2010 Presidential Instruction ordering all state bodies to avoid wasting state funds. The Indonesian Forum for Budget Transparency (Fitra), a member of the coalition, said it was mulling filing a criminal lawsuit against House Speaker Marzuki Alie from President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Democratic Party.
Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) also invited a number of civil society groups to join its coalition to initiate a movement against the new building plan. This coalition would file a lawsuit and class action against the House should the controversial plan not be dropped, ICW's Emerson Yuntho said.
"The '1,000 Somasi' [1,000 Summons] movement will be carried out in many cities across the country," Emerson said.
He added that the coalition would also file a judicial review with the Constitutional Court to challenge the 2011 State Budget Law. This year's state budget allocated Rp 800 billion (US$92 million) to the project, which is estimated to cost Rp 1.16 trillion. Rp 100 billion was disbursed in 2010 to finance the consultancy jobs for the project while the remaining cost would be disbursed from 2012 budget. The Jakarta Legal Aid Foundation and the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation have joined the ICW coalition.
Lawmaker Bambang Soesatyo from the Golkar Party said the NGOs' move was understandable. He admitted the plan to construct a new building should be made following a study proving the existing buildings were no longer sufficient or adequate. "Lawmakers really do need more space, but we must not downplay people's aspirations," Bambang said. He suggested a revised, cheaper design to replace the current building.
The House's Secretariat General previously insisted it would commence with the construction in June despite mounting protests. A number of lawmakers, however, have agreed to call for a temporary halt to the project pending a plenary session to discuss the future of the project.
In an attempt to appease public anger, the People's Awakening Party (PKB) and the United Development Party (PPP), which initially agreed with the construction plan, said the cancellation of the project was possible through a consultative meeting involving representatives from all seven parties at the House.
However, activists remain unconvinced. "Many lawmakers have issued statements without any real actions. That's why we are giving them a week to prove their seriousness before filing the lawsuit," Fitra's Uchok said.