House to procure 550 laptops

The Jakarta Post

Despite strong criticism, the House of Representatives will go ahead with its plan to procure laptops for all of its 550 legislators.

Speaker Agung Laksono said here Friday it was impossible for the House to suspend the laptop procurement because it was already approved and included in the 2007 state budget following a House decision in October 2005.

"The procurement project will go ahead, but the supervision will be enhanced. The laptops will be loaned to legislators, who are later required to return them after completing their terms in parliament," he said.

"The most important thing is that the procurement will be conducted transparently and their use will be closely supervised."

Chairman of the House's Internal Affairs Committee, Ebby Djauhari, said the procurement was based on a recommendation from the joint team appointed to assess the House's performance.

"The laptops should not be seen as gifts to legislators, but as state facilities made available in the parliament. The Internal Affairs Committee decided to provide not only laptops, but also expert staff to assist legislators in doing their tasks," he said during a House discussion on Friday.

Telematics expert Roy Suryo questioned the urgency of the laptop procurement, insisting legislators were not prepared to utilize the sophisticated technology.

"It would be better for the House's secretariat-general to first find out who among the legislators is really in need of a laptop, and to provide a short course for those unfamiliar with the technology," he said.

Arbi Sanit, a political analyst at the University of Indonesia, said he doubted the laptops -- which cost Rp 21 million (US$2,300) per unit -- would improve the House's overall performance.

"Legislators behave like soldiers, whose necessities, from pants, food, electricity, telephones and foreign trips, are financed by the state, while their constituents are left malnourished, sick and uneducated," he said.

"If the House is committed to improving its performance, it should repair its operational system and internal rulings and set itself a minimum target of tasks to achieve. At the same time, legislators should change their mindset," he said.

He said the drafting of political bills was the best way for the House to improve its performance, in addition to establishing strong political parties and organizing high-quality legislative elections to yield qualified and dedicated legislators.

In related developments, the National Mandate Party (PAN) has requested that the House's Internal Affairs Committee prioritize the much-needed recruitment of staff to aid legislators in performing their tasks.

"It is not an appropriate time for the House to equip legislators with laptops. The project should be suspended until the country's economic condition makes it more feasible. The secretariat-general should focus on recruiting expert staff and allocate an adequate budget to pay them well," said Zulkifli Hasan, secretary of the House's PAN faction. (JP/Ridwan Max Sijabat)