PROGRAM REPRESENTASI (PROREP) MONTHLY NEWSLETTER
APRIL 2013
A PRIL H IGHLIGHTS Taking Constituent Outreach in Indonesia to Another Level DPR Members are expected to visit their constituencies every quarter, during the DPR recess. Yet in many cases, Members have not used their constituency visits to meet with constituents and deal with local problems and issues, including those they can take back to the DPR to be addressed at the national level. The JABAT program is working to change that reality by supporting a number of DPR Members that want to develop stronger connections with their constituents and to represent them effectively. This April, ProRep, together with implementing partner Kemitraan, kicked the JABAT program into high gear by expanding support to a total of 18 Members to conduct effective recess visits to their electoral districts (dapils) across the country. In the first phase of JABAT, ProRep provided assistance to six DPR Members over three rounds of recess visits (July and October 2012 and December 2012/January 2013). For the April/May 2013 recess visit, ProRep provided additional assistance to five of the most engaged Members from Phase I, and inducted a new group of twelve Members who will participate in JABAT activities over the April/May, July/August and October/November 2013 recess periods. The 18 Members participating in JABAT consist of two from each political party, and almost half are women (44 percent). During these visits Members and their staff are coached on how to design meaningful activities that will help them reach out beyond their traditional party supporters. A key aspect of the technical assistance provided is helping Members to follow up on issues raised by constituents. Sometimes this happens when the Member is present in the electoral district and is able to share information about national programs and resources or can connect constituents with the appropriate local government officials or local parliament. At other times Members follow-up on constituent issues when they return to Jakarta and communicate local concerns to relevant commissions or ministries.
New JABAT Member, Hon. Andi Timo Pangeran, Deputy Chair of the DPR’s Commission XI overseeing financial matters, and Chair of the Women’s Caucus, met with a variety of constituent groups and participated in a local radio talk show during her recess visit to South Sulawesi III this April. For more information visit www.prorep.or.id or contact us at prorep@prorep.or.id. Program Representasi (ProRep) is implemented by Chemonics International in partnership with the Urban Institute, Social Impact and Kemitraan. This newsletter is made possible by the support of the American People through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID.) The contents of this newsletter are the sole responsibility of Chemonics International and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.
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Constituent Outreach in Indonesia (Continued) At the end of April, a newly involved Member, Hon. Nur Yasin of the National Awakening Party (Partai Kebangkitan Bangsa or PKB) and from Commission VII which deals with energy, natural mineral resources, research and technology, and the environment, returned to his electoral district in East Java to conduct his recess visit.
TOP: Traditional dancers perform at forum to discuss the role of arts and culture in the local tourism industry. BOTTOM: Hon. Nur Yasin (on right) responds to calls from constituents on a local radio program.
ProRep provided support for him to participate in a radio call-in program and hold a dialogue with traditional puppet master artists from the region. On the radio show the main topic of discussion was a very controversial draft local regulation on spatial planning which impacts several villages to be affected by gold mining. Several callers asked that Hon. Yasin request the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources to review the mining permits issued by the Jember district government. The forum with the local traditional artists opened with an art performance, followed by an Islamic sermon, and Hon. Nur Yasin then took the floor to share information on the DPR and his role as a Member. A constructive dialogue ensued focusing on the role of traditional culture and customs in tourism and education. Hon. Yasin committed to follow up on the issues raised by his constituents with Members from Commission X on education, youth affairs, sports, tourism, art and culture.
“I really appreciate this forum. As a member of the Indonesian Puppet Masters Association, I feel heard by my representative in Jakarta. I hope that the DPR and the Government will support the existence of traditional artists. Otherwise the youth will soon forget their own cultures and embrace negative values taught by the television.� SAMIAN, PUPPET MASTER, JEMBER, EAST JAVA
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Partnering with the Upper House of Indonesia’s Parliament to Improve Representation Cahyo Suryanto (on left), a seasoned trainer and facilitator, brings energy and creativity to ProRep’s recent training session to assist the DPD in the management of constituent relations.
ProRep focuses much of its parliamentary assistance program on the Indonesian House of Representatives or the People’s Representatives Council (Derwan Perwakilan Rakyat or DPR) because of its key budget, policy-making and oversight roles. There are however, strategic opportunities to advance representation in Indonesia by supporting the institutional development of the upper house or Regional Representatives Council (Dewan Perwakilan Daerah or DPD).
While the DPD has somewhat limited authority over the legislative process, in March 2013 the Constitutional Court ruled that the DPD has the right to propose and deliberate bills concerning regional autonomy, the relationship between central and local governments, and the management of natural resources. DPD Members are elected on a non-partisan basis and each province has equal representation within the Council (four members per province). The DPD is therefore in a unique position to effectively represent the issues and concerns of the constituents from each of the provinces in Indonesia. The DPD also has the mandate to operate regional constituency offices in each province to help DPD Members better represent their constituents. The DPD is gearing up to make these offices more effective by building new offices, appointing new staff to lead them and equipping these staff with the skills they need to serve as a bridge between Members and their constituents. It is in this third area that the DPD requested ProRep support. This April, ProRep trained the 33 DPD’s Secretariat General staff members responsible for managing the DPD Provincial Offices, helping ensure that they serve effectively on the “front lines” of constituent relations for Members. The Chair of the Household Committee and the Head of Bureau for Planning and Finance of DPD also participated as observers. The training covered key concepts related to constituent relations, and how to handle constituents’ aspirations (requests) from beginning to end - receiving, classifying, prioritizing aspirations, presenting them to Members, assisting Members to follow up on aspirations and finally getting back to constituents on outcomes. This training was a true synergy of ProRep’s three components, which support and link CSOs, research institutions and policymakers to improve representation in Indonesia. First of all, a seasoned trainer and facilitator from the CSO world, Cahyo Suryanto, Director of the Center for Urban Community Empowerment (Pusdakota) of the University of Surabaya, delivered the training in a dynamic, creative and engaging way.
“This training is excellent. The facilitator is highly competent, creative, and full of humor. All the participants enjoyed the entire process of the training.” SOFIEATI, HEAD OF BUREAU FOR PLANNING AND FINANCE OF DPD
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Partnering with the Upper House of Indonesia’s Parliament (Continued) He treated every participant as an important contributor to the session, encouraging them to share their knowledge and experiences. This style of training was new to DPD staff and was very well received. Researchers from two of ProRep’s policy research grantees, the Institute for Research and Empowerment (IRE) and Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), presented initial research findings related to effective models of representation. Lastly, two former Members shared insights with participants based on their practical experience. Alvin Lie, ProRep’s Parliamentary Advisor and former DPR Member, explained what type of support that staff should provide to Members, how to communicate with constituents, and how to build relations with the media. Ichsan Loulembah, advisor to DPD leadership and former DPD Member, presented his “DPD Members will perform effectively if staff of own experience as a Member and guidregional offices also perform effectively. I beed participants in how they should manlieve DPD Members in the future will be more age constituent relations and support DPD Members. responsive to their constituents with the support Post-training evaluation forms from this training showed that participants acquired new knowledge that they will apply on the job and that now they feel more confident in supporting DPD Members in providing effective representation to their constituents.
of effective staff. I thank USAID/ProRep for this kind of program.” ANAS ASRI, DPD MEMBER CHAIR OF HOUSEHOLD COMMITTEE
ProRep and BAKN Continue the Effort to Promote State Financial Accountability Across Indonesia National and local level parliaments meet in Makassar to discuss ways to improve oversight of public funds, including establishing Public Accounts Committees in sub -national parliaments.
This month, ProRep continued its support to the DPR’s Public Accounts Committee (BAKN) to help it share the importance of conducting oversight of public funds at all parliamentary levels. On April 9th in Makassar, South Sulawesi, Members and staff from BAKN met with leadership of the Gorontalo provincial DPRD, Maros District DPRD, GOWA District DPRD, Makassar Municipal DPRD and officials from the Supreme Audit Board (BPK) and the Financial Development Comptroller (BPKP) to explain BAKN’s role and functions, and to encourage DPRD’s to establish similar committees to oversee state finances.
Many DPRD Members assumed that BAKN functioned as an auditor, similar to BPK. However, by the end of the session, they understood how BAKN investigates the audit findings raised by BPK and expressed their support for establishing a similar BAKN-like committee with the local DPRD. They raised their concern, however, that it would be difficult to do so unless the MD3 Law (Law No. 27/2009 on MPR, DPR, DPD and DPRD) were amended to require it. While in Makassar, BAKN Members and BPK officials met with the Makassar Regional Drinking Water Company (PDAM) and the Provincial Attorney’s Office to hold tripartite discussions to follow up on BPK audit findings. These verification meetings are an international best practice that has now been adopted by BAKN and are a useful way for the Committee to determine appropriate next steps to ensure that state funds are being used effectively.
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JABAT Program Gets a Boost from Four CSO Partners Cakrawala Timur Foundation is connecting with Hon. Eva Kusuma Sundari to advocate for issues of importance to current and former migrant workers in the Electoral District VI of East Java
Indonesia Budget Center (IBC) is connecting with Hon. Teguh Juwarno to advocate for improved and more inclusive socioeconomic development for constituents in the Electoral District IX of Central Java Prakarsa Lamongan is connecting with Hon. Malik Haramain to advocate for improved public health and education services for farmers and fisher folk in the Electoral District II of East Java
Aksara is connecting with Hon. Sumaryati Arjoso to advocate for improvement of women’s economic status in the Electoral District III of Central Java
In April ProRep awarded four nine-month-long grants to CSOs active in the electoral districts of DPR Members participating in the JABAT program. As ProRep’s direct recess visit assistance tapers off for these Members, the CSO's, through their grant activities, will continue to engage the DPR Members during and between recess periods, specifically on policy issues relevant to their local communities. This engagement is expected to result in closer relationships between Members and their constituents, better collaboration between the CSO's and policy makers, and finally, policies that reflect the needs and desires of Indonesians. These grants also contain research elements, to ensure that the recommendations made to the Members are grounded in facts and sound analysis. The boxes on the left show the focus of each grant. One of these grants, the one to IBC, contains a second component partnering with the DPR's Public Accounts Committee (BAKN) to strengthen budget oversight in Indonesia. TOP TO BOTTOM: Aksara holds training on rights and duties of citizens; Prakarsa holds public discussion to introduce the program to constituents; and Cakrawala Timur met with stakeholders to prioritize the issues facing migrant workers.
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CSO from East Java Partners with Member of Parliament to Improve Conditions for Migrant Workers Hon. Eva Kusuma Sundari (far right) meets with former migrant workers from East Java and shares the Parliaments plans to amend the current law protecting Indonesian workers abroad. Amending this law is a tangible opportunity to improve conditions for this vulnerable group.
Former migrant workers voiced the need to protect migrant workers abroad and assist those who have returned to their homeland.
On April 23rd, JABAT grantee Cakrawala Timur organized a dialogue in Blitar, East Java to bring public attention to injustices faced by current and former migrant workers. Blitar is one of the areas in Java that supplies the most workers abroad. In this forum, Hon. Eva Sundari, who sits on Commission III overseeing law and legislation, human rights, and security, said that the problem of migrant workers will not be solved if the government neglects its constitutional obligation to protect them, especially female migrant workers. She explained that the DPR is initiating a bill to amend the law protecting Indonesian workers abroad. This bill is one of the efforts to improve the condition of migrant workers and their families and also to improve the process by which Indonesians leave their country to work abroad. Cakrawala Timur will be working closely with Hon. Sundari and other local and national level policy makers over the coming months to raise awareness of the realities faced by Indonesians who work or have worked abroad, and to improve policies aimed to protect them.
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ICEL supports community to inform DPR on impact of mismanaged waste from paper mill. ICEL plans to assist a community group from Serang, Banten, West Java to hold a public hearing with DPR’s Commission VII which deals with energy, mineral resources, research and technology, and the environment. This community group has claimed that Indah Kiat Pulp and Paper company does not conduct proper waste management and they will alert the DPR to how their community has been affected by this company’s waste. ICEL will follow this with a press conference.
Training on how to analyze audit reports to better support the DPR’s Public Accounts Committee (BAKN). In late May ProRep, in partnership with the Center for Accounting and Finance Development of the State Accounting University, will conduct training for BAKN staff and the budget and audit report analysts of the DPR Secretariat General assigned to support BAKN. This session will teach them how to analyze audit reports from the Supreme Audit Board (BPK-RI) so that then they can provide useful inputs and recommendations to BAKN Members.
Monitoring budget for food security. CSO grantee InProSuLa is carrying out a program to help the Association of Farmer Groups (Gapotkan) advocate for better policies and smarter spending in support of food security. In May and June InProSuLa will be conducting activities to monitor how the food security budget is being used at the national level and in the provinces of Yogyakarta, Central Java and West Java.
Research grantees make strides in preparing policy research studies. In May WRI will conduct a survey of knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP); LPEM UI will prepare their interim policy research paper and policy brief; IRE will implement a survey and in-depth interviews in the field; Paramadina will develop a KAP survey; and CSIS will conduct a third participatory observation and begin to process the data from their national public opinion survey.
JABAT grantees ramp up program activities. Cakrawala Timur will conduct a policy advocacy training in Blitar, East Java in early May. On May 12 and 26 Prakarsa Lamongan will hold constituency training for farmer and fisher folk groups. The Indonesian Budget Center will develop tools for recess visit activities and conduct training on parliamentary issues in the first half of May.
Training on legislative research and policy analysis for DPR and DPD researchers. In May two former US Congressional Research Service experts, William Robinson and Francis Miko, will provide training to help DPR and DPD staff conduct high quality research to present Members with clear policy options and possible consequences. A cross-component event will also be held bringing together CSOs, research institutions and DPR staff members to discuss the contribution of CSOs and research institutions to the policy making process.
CSO grantee Pergerakan holds multi stakeholder forum. As their final grant activity, Pergerakan will conduct a multi stakeholder forum on May 14 (previously planned for April) to share their findings on the implementation of the government decree on budget allocation for fisher folks welfare to MPs from Commission IV, journalists, academics, and other CSOs.
JABAT MPs return to their electoral districts in May. Several new and veteran JABAT DPR Members will be conducting their recess visits over the month of May including Hon. Shohibul Iman, Hon. Arwani Thomafi, Hon. Reni Marlinawati, Hon. Budiman Sudjatmiko, Hon. Kamaruddin Sjam, Hon. Tetty Kadi, Hon. Dewi Coryati, and Hon. Yahya Sacawiria.
Self-assessment activity for grantees. To help grantees to track their development as organizations, provide them with a tool they can use to continually assess their knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP), and to help them readjust their organizational capacity building strategies as necessary, ProRep will facilitate self-assessments for selected grantees in May, including Muslimat and Pergerakan.
Program Representasi (ProRep) is a three to five year project on democracy and governance supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Its aim is to improve representation in Indonesia by increasing the inclusiveness and effectiveness of groups and institutions that seek to express people’s interests to government and by increasing the transparency and effectiveness of legislative processes.