Thousands of labourers from the Indonesian Worker Union Confederation (KSPI) march on the street in front of the House of Representatives (DPR) building complex in Central Jakarta to protest the omnibus bill on job creation on Monday. THE JAKARTA POST
The Indonesian House of Representatives has listed four omnibus bills on this year’s priority legislation list, raising concerns about the transparency and quality of the deliberations as the government seeks to fast-track discussions.
Lawmakers listed on Wednesday the four bills on the 2020 National Legislation Programme and agreed to deliberate them this year.
Of the four, the bills on job creation, taxation and the capital region were initiated by the government, while the bill on the pharmacy sector was proposed by the House.
“If we can complete the deliberations quickly, then why not? We will finish them as soon as possible,” House speaker Maharani said, adding that the expected deadline set by the government would be a challenge for the House to help improve the country’s economy and investment climate.
On several occasions, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has demanded that the House’s deliberations of the job creation bill be finished within 100 working days after the lawmakers received the bill from the government.
If passed into law, each omnibus bill will amend thousands of provisions in dozens of prevailing laws, as part of the government’s deregulation efforts to attract more investment to fuel the country’s sluggish economic growth.
Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly said of the three bills initiated by the government, the bill on the capital region was considered a “super-priority”, as it would form the legal basis for relocation of the capital from Jakarta to North Penajam Paser and Kutai Kartanegara regencies in East Kalimantan.
Despite the tight deadline, lawmakers had yet to receive a draft from the government as of Friday.
Office of the Coordinating Economic Minister secretary Susiwijono said on Friday that the government had finished drafting the omnibus bill on job creation and would look to hand it over to the House this week along with an academic script and presidential letter (Surpres) to formally ask lawmakers to begin deliberations.
“If the draft has been signed by the president and related ministers, the president will send the Surpres to the House,” Susiwijono said in a press briefing.
The job creation bill, which will amend more than 1,200 articles in around 80 laws deemed to hamper investments, has been met with strong opposition from labour unions that have expressed concern it will undermine labour rights.
Thousands of workers gathered at the main gate of the House compound in Senayan, Central Jakarta, on January 20 to demand the House scrap the bill.
“There are many draft bills that have triggered public debate. We don’t want to respond before getting the official academic script and draft,” House deputy speaker and Gerindra Party politician Sufmi Dasco Ahmad said.
‘What is the purpose?’
Meanwhile, Indonesian Parliament Watch analyst Lucius Karus expressed doubt the deliberations could be completed within the period set by Jokowi.
“Jokowi’s 100-working-day target could rush the deliberation process, which could impact the quality of the law,” Lucius said.
Moreover, the government has been tight-lipped about the details of the bill and the academic script.
“The process is not transparent. What is the purpose?” he said, adding that going forward, the government and the House should seek public participation throughout the entire deliberation process.
Deputy chairman of the House’s Legislation Body Willy Aditya also asked the government to pay attention to the public’s aspirations regarding the three bills, citing the public outcry during the deliberation of the Criminal Code bill.
“To meet the president’s demand, a good methodology is required in the lawmaking process,” he said.
Separately, Fitch Solutions has also expressed concern about the omnibus bills.
“We believe that while the tax and investment rules will be relatively easier to push through the legislature, revisions to the Labour Law will face significant challenges,” it wrote in a research note dated January 22, adding that union protests to the planned changes highlighted the constraints the government was likely to face in making structural reforms.
“While Jokowi will maintain a general course toward reform, he will likely fail to make sweeping reforms,” it said.
In its Short-Term Political Risk Index, Fitch Solutions slightly revised down Indonesia’s “policymaking process” score from 66.7 to 65 to reflect Jokowi’s tendency to back down on tough policies upon political pressure.
“The main reason for this is because the president does not have his party to back him up in the legislature, and thus is forced to rely on making policy compromises to shore up a strong majority in the legislature,” it said.
THE JAKARTA POST/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
