Political Affairs

RI not in U.S. list of al-Qaeda network

  JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia is not included on the list of 45 countries in which  Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda terrorist group conducts business, a report says.  The list, which is in a new pamphlet titled "Terrorist Network" given out by  the U.S. Embassy here on Tuesday, is part of the commemoration of the third  month after the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and the  Pentagon in Washington , Antara reported.  

New Indonesian Ambassador to the U.S. 

JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda revealed on Monday  that the United States government had endorsed the appointment of Soemadi  Brotodiningrat, outgoing Indonesian Ambassador to Japan , as the new  Indonesian Ambassador to the U.S.

"The U.S. government has officially stated its approval of the appointment of  Soemadi Brotodiningrat. He (Soemadi) is expected to begin his new assignment  at the end of this week," Hassan said while addressing the media on the  occasion of the 2001 year-endevaluation of his ministry as quoted by Antara.

The ambassadorial post in Washington had been vacant following the  appointment of Dorodjatun Kuntjoro-Jakti as Coordinating Minister for the  Economy by President Megawati Soekarnoputri last August.

Opinion: New Dawn of Legislative Dictatorship Nearing

Muhammad Nafik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The relatively peaceful transfer of power brought high hopes that his successor Megawati Soekarnoputri would deal swiftly with the nation's problems. However, those hopes seemed to fade over the following months amid continued legal and security uncertainties.

Gus Dur was charged with incompetence and involvement in the theft of Rp 35 billion from the National Logistics Agency (Bulog) and the embezzlement of a US$2 million donation from Brunei 's Sultan Hasanah Bolkiah. Despite the absence of a legal verdict establishing his innocence or guilt, the MPR deposed him to satisfy its own political interests. His ousting was a setback for democracy as it was based on political hostility and revenge rather than genuine efforts to foster a democratic system.

It signaled the political dominance of the House of Representatives and the MPR over the president. Legislative dictatorship was never an issue during the 32-year autocratic rule of Soeharto, who stepped down in May 1998 following anti-government protests and mass riots. It also encouraged lawmakers to become arrogant and ignorant of the people's aspirations.

The House "intervenes" in the allocation of executive positions, such as through the appointment and dismissal of top military and police chiefs, the central bank governor and his deputies, as well as ambassadors. During Wahid's presidency, institutional conflicts between the president and the legislature became the order of the day. An example was the House's rejection of then president Gus Dur's decision to sack Gen. Surojo Bimantoro as the National Police chief.

The 1945 Constitution, which contains substantial loopholes and ambiguities, justifies an authoritarian legislative body. That was why Soeharto ruled the country with an iron fist -- to keep the legislature at bay. Until Indonesia creates a new constitution the current legislative dictatorship will be here to stay.

Antonius Suyata, head of the National Ombudsman Commission, says the legislative dominance creates a so-called "powerful supervisor", while at the same time lawmakers neglect their main duty of enacting laws because they are largely focused on watching the government.

 If not controlled, he said, the legislature's dominance would open opportunities for law makers to practice wide-scale corruption, while the government remained corrupt. "In the future, it will be harder to overcome this problem because controlling the legislative body is much more difficult than controlling the executive," Suyata added. Jakarta Post December 26, 2001