Details

The tasks to be performed by the Indonesian local parliaments (DPRDs) are huge. At present, an appropriate execution of assigned duties appears to be unsatisfactory due to a variety of problem areas. At the system and institutional level, the lack of clarity and loopholes in the law as well as lack of regulations or procedures is critical and may be illustrated as follows:

• Assessment of the DPRD’s performance lacks clear cut standards and minimal requirements;
• Lacking local government regulations that specify roles and functions of the legislative and forms and degrees of involvement of councillors in the conduct of local administrative affairs;
• Concrete guidelines for the implementation of key tasks and management of the day-to-day operations of the DPRD and its support structures are lacking;
• Legislative-executive working mechanisms and relationships between local and provincial legislature are not clearly defined or established;
• Weaknesses on the acceptance and refusal of the accountability statement of the Head of Region and the establishment of public hearing and arbitration mechanisms;
• A large number of regional regulations have been issued in an inconsistent manner due to unclarity on local level issues that require national government regulation and subsequent local legislation or local affairs that do not need further national regulation;
• Lack of mechanisms for community or stakeholder participation, supervision on the executive, budget allocation, and monitoring and policy evaluation.

At the individual level, capacities cover a wide range of skills and knowledge areas which closely tie in with the tasks and functions of the DPRD and its secretariat, the roles of councilors, the various areas of public governance, and how as an individual member one can increase one’s leverage. The competence among DPRD members varies greatly, but must be regarded low. The existing recruitment system applied by political parties is a major cause. Furthermore, training programs for local councilors have not been successful to raise the councilors’ competence in a significant manner.

The need for capacity building support of the DPRD will not be transient, but rather permanent, given that after each election – and even between elections - new DPRD members will be sworn in. Local councillors are in need of practical oriented guidance that is linked towards locally specific needs and generates answers or solutions for real problems. Furthermore, when legislators execute their functions and tasks, continuous guidance and facilitation will be needed related to technicalities pertaining parliamentary administration and bureaucracy as well as procedures.

Complementary measures bearing a sustainable character are urgently required. Therefore, it was intended to produce guidebooks for legislators as a basic reference frame to provide a sufficient understanding on imposed duties and authorities, at the same time offering know how and skills in specific areas regarding their functions in representation, budgeting, legislation, and oversight. In addition, the manuals will elaborate on the role of the DPRD secretariat and effective use as well as execution of its support function.