Enhancing the Performance of Indonesia's Parliament
A delegation of 11 Indonesian parliamentarians visited CDI in November to discuss ways to improve the performance of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR). The Working Group on Performance Enhancement of the House of Representatives was led by prominent Indonesian parliamentarian Dr Eva Sundari, and included representives of all major Indonesian parties.
The purpose of the visit was to examine the structures and procedures of the Australian parliamentary system, including its internal administrative arrangements and budgeting procedures, in order to glean some insight into, and recommendations for, enhancing the DPR's performance. To this end, discussions with CDI focussed on differences between the Indonesian and Australian systems of government, issues of staff recruitment and management in each country, budgeting and financial constraints, and other administrative challenges facing the DPR.
Indonesia is one of CDI's target countries for assistance, and the role of CDI as a democracy promotion organisation and our established program of assistance and expertise on the Indonesian parliament was discussed at some length. CDI has a strong track record of working to help build the capacity of the DPR via training programs for parliamentary officials and political parties, study tours and visits, and joint activities between Indonesian and Australian parliamentary committees. For more information on these, see:
CDI agreed to work with the Working Group as they prepare their report on reform options and move into the implementation phase of their programme. This will involve futher cooperation as part of CDI's mandate to strengthen parliamentary government in the Asia-Pacific region.
