Thursday, January 6, 2011

WHILE PARLIAMENT GOES INTO RECESS, CONTROVERSY ON NEW BUILDING PROJECT DRAGS ON By Fardah

        Jakarta, April 9, 2011 (ANTARA) - Indonesian lawmakers might be relaxing right now as the House of Representatives (DPR) as of Saturday (April 9) has gone into recess amidst a controversy regarding their plan to construct a 36-story new parliament building.
        In a consultative meeting held on Thursday (April 7), the DPR decided to go ahead with the plan to construct the new tower despite objections from some factions, and more importantly from a number of NGOs and ordinary people.
         "The DPR leaders stick to the decision taken in the consultative meeting on October 19, 2010, when all factions gave their approval," House Speaker Marzuki Alie said after chairing the DPR leadership consultative meeting at the Parliament Building here Thursday (April 7).
       In the Thursday meeting, PAN and Gerindra rejected the decision to go ahead with the new building construction plan. House Speaker Marzuki Alie officially closed the 3rd Parliament`s sitting for the year 2010-2011 in a plenary meeting at the Parliament building here, Friday (April 8).
         Until the end of the Parliament`s sitting, factions at the Parliament were split regarding the new building plan. At the plenary DPR meeting, PDI-P legislators walked out in protest against the project.
        The luxurious new tower project is estimated to cost Rp1.138 trillion (about US$118 million), down from the previous plan at Rp1.8 trillion (almost US$200 million) - a huge sum for a developing country which is still facing relatively high poverty and unemployment rates.
        The new building is to be built on the DPR`s old 72.8 hectare-plot of land, while the current 23-story building will be used by the DPR`s Secretariat and for meetings.
       House Speaker Marzuki Alie recently said the plan on the new parliament building construction is part of the DPR Strategic Plan 2010-2014. However, the idea of constructing the new parliament building had come up for the first time from the DPR of the 2004-2009 period.
         They wanted to construct a new building because the current one was reportedly slanted by seven degrees. However, the DPR later corrected the statement saying that the building was not slanted but has some cracks due to the 2008 earthquake in Tasikmalaya, West Java.
       Then they said the new facility was needed to help improve the performance of the 560 lawmakers. They had initially wanted to have a 27-story building, but it was later decided to expand it into 36 stories.
       Marzuki explained that each member of the Parliament needs to be supported by five expert staff members and one personal assistant, therefore, the DPR should have a bigger building.
      Rejecting the planned new tower, the director of the Center for Indonesian Reform (CIR), Sapto Waluyo, said the new building will only spoil the lawmakers.
        "The DPR members only recently had their official residences renovated at a total cost of around Rp445 billion. How come they now want to have a new building with a budget amounting to Rp1.3 trillion. It`s like spoiling and serving one`s self," Sapto said in a short text message sent to ANTARA, Friday (April 8).
         At present, around 2.3 million people are living in make-shift shelters like the ones along river banks, railroads, and other slum areas in Indonesia, he said.
       "Members of the House of Representatives should use their conscience by prioritizing the people`s interest. If the people reject the plan to construct the new building, they must listen," he said.
       Early April, five legislators from different parties, initiated a petition to scrap the planned construction of a new Parliament tower. The legislators are Roy Suryo of the Democratic Party faction, Teguh Juwarno (National Mandate Party - PAN - faction), Edi Prabowo (Gerindra Party faction), Budiman Sudjatmiko (PDI-Struggle faction), and Malik (National Awakening Party - PKB- faction).
        "This is the voice of the people," Roy Surya said, adding that they initiated the Petition against "New Parliament Building" because of their conscience as the representatives of the people who many of them question about the plan.
       Bambang Soesatyo of the Golkar Party, on a separate occasion, said the plan should be in line with the people`s aspiration and opinions.
        He reminded House Speaker Marzuki Alie of the ruling Democratic Party not to ignore the people`s opinions. The Democratic Party and Golkar are among the political party factions in the parliament which have supported the new tower plan.
         Since the beginning the Gerindra (Greater Indonesia Movement) Party faction in the DPR has rejected the plan, stating that it would only be a waste of public funds and hurt the people`s sense of propriety.
       "Our faction in the House has firmly rejected the plan to construct the new building. We have submitted an official letter on the matter to the House leadership," said Fadli Zon, deputy chairperson of the Gerindra Party at a press conference at the DPR building, last January.
        A number of young House of Representatives members have joined the "Coalition against the New Parliament Building", stating that there was no urgency in constructing a new building for the House.
       Among the young legislators were Budiman Sujatmiko of the Indonesian Democracy Party-Struggle (PDIP), Edhy Prabowo of Gerindra, Teguh Juwarno of the National Mandate Party (PAN), Malik Haramain of the National Awakening Party (PKB) and Roy Suryo of the Democratic Party (FPD).
        The effort to raise new House of Representatives building refusal has received notification from several members who have signed the cause, namely Hasrul Azwar and Romahurmuzy (F-PPP), Hendra Singkaru (PAN) and Eva Kusuma Sundari (PDIP).
       Budiman said setting up a new building for the House would be an unwise step as it was in contradiction with social realities in the country and would also demonstrate a lack of empathy for the suffering of the people.
       "We will invite all the factions in the House of Representatives to put their own interests aside and unite with the aspirations of the people to cancel the new building construction and gain public confidence in the House of Representatives 2009-2014 period," said Budiman.
        Stronger rejection came from the Coalition of Civil Society Organizations (CSO) and the People`s Coalition which have threatened to sue the Parliament leadership, the Parliament`s Household Affairs Committee (BURT), President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, the finance minister and political party factions at the Parliament.
        They demanded that the plan to construct the new building be canceled and legislators and officials must apologize to the people.
        Yuna Farhan, the Coalition`s spokesman said at a press conference in Jakarta, on April 3, 2011, that the House of Representatives was given seven days to fulfill the demands or they would face a lawsuit.
  (T. F001/A/HAJM /21:18/H-YH)
(T.F001/A/F001/A/H-YH) 09-04-2011 21:18:36

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