Apriadi Gunawan and Ridwan Max Sijabat, Medan/Jakarta – Activists and analysts have criticized political parties which had withdrawn political support for an amendment of the 1945 Constitution to empower the Regional Representatives Council (DPD) and said parties could not claim a monopoly over the Constitution.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Democratic Party (PD) faction at the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) was the first to withdraw support followed by Golkar Party and United Development Party (PPP) factions. Golkar and PPP withdrew support a day after MPR leadership announced Monday a plan to call a plenary session to revise the Constitution.
The MPR is a joint sitting of the DPD and the House of Representatives. DPD has 128 representatives, each of whom support the amendment. There are 550 legislators in the House.
Spokesperson for the Commission of New Constitution Indra J. Piliang said in a press conference Wednesday the withdrawal of support was an indication parties were not concerned over the imbalance of power distribution between state institutions and ineffective regional representatives.
"Why did we have to establish DPD and elect the regional representatives if they are not empowered?" Indra said. "It is better for the nation to liquidate the council for efficiency. The government allocates Rp 183 billion annually for DPD but it does only a little," he said.
A political analyst of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Indra dismissed the substantial and time perspectives argued by the parties to reject the proposed amendment. He said now was the right time to repair all weak points after four amendments made between 1999 and 2002.
"The amendment is needed to insert regional representatives' limited legislative and budgetary rights in the bill on a composition of MPR, DPD, House of Representatives and regional legislative councils. Parties' monopoly in the political recruitment should also be reviewed and a new institution to protect the people's human rights is also needed," he said.
Coordinator of the Indonesian Forum for Monitoring of Parliament (Formappi) Sebastianus Salman said MPR could hold a plenary session immediately and efficiently if parties put their weight behind the MPR leadership's plan. He said the amendment could be made any time.
"The constitution is not a holy scripture and there is no ruling on when an amendment has to be made," Sebastianus said. "Parties can not claim their monopoly of the constitution."
Deputy Speaker for DPD Laode Ida said in Medan he was optimistic his party would obtain adequate political support from other parties to have MPR stage the plenary session.
After delivering his message during a seminar at the North Sumatra University Laode said the National Awakening Party (PKB) and the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) had pledged their full support.
"Former president Abdurrahman 'Gus Dur' Wahid has contacted the PKB faction chairman in MPR to lend full party support for the amendment," Laode said. "And PKS president Tifatul Sembiring has given a similar pledge."
DPD has won political support from 10 lawmakers from PKS and four from PKB. Both parties have almost 90 lawmakers in MPR.
Following the withdrawal of political support from the three parties, DPD has been in need of at least two lawmakers to meet the minimum requirement of 226.