Governance, Accountability and Sustainability of MDGs Related Efforts

By : Tuti Indarsih Loekman Soetrisno
Member of the House of Representatives, Republic of Indonesia, National Mandate Party.
Member of Commission IX : Health, Labor, Transmigration, Population, Food and Drug Control.

PRESENTED AT THE SIXTH ASIAN WOMEN PARLIAMENTARIANS AND MINISTERS’ CONFERENCE, September 23-24, 2008, ULAN BATOR, MONGOLIA




Governance, Accountability and Sustainability of the MDG

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Introduction :

To face the challenges of the country’s development, in the period of 2004-2009, government of Indonesia has promoted the 3 (three) development agenda i.e :
1. To Create a Safe & Peaceful Country
2. To Create a Just & Democratic Country
3. To Improve People’s Welfare.
Agenda 3, i.e. to Improve People’s Welfare is much in line with the 8 goals of Millennium Development. And since Indonesia has signed the MDGs commitment in 2000, consequently all government development policies and programs have since then been projected to also reach the 8 goals of Millennium Development.


Indonesian Parliament

Since the amendment of Indonesian 1945 Constitution in 2002, Parliament of Indonesia is given more power to be involved together with the Government in deciding all development plans, policies and programs of the country, since the Parliament is expected to have the role to make changes, essential for fostering public participations and accountability and being a place of popular representation and an effective instrument for the creation of legislation and review of Government policy. This is implemented through routines hearings between the Government represented by its ministers with the Parliament where in Indonesia consists of 11 (eleven) Committees, each Committee is in charge to certain sector and Ministry as the following : I. International Affair, Defense, Information, II. Home Affairs, State Apparatus, III. Law, Human Rights, IV. Agriculture, Forestry, Maritime, Fisheries, V. Transport, Communication. VI. Industry, Trade, Cooperative, VII. Energy, Mineral Resources, Technology, Environment, VIII. Women Affairs, Children Protection, Religion, Social Affairs, IX. Health, Labor, Transmigration, Population, Food and Drug Control, X. Education, Tourism, XI. Finance, Banking, Development Planning.

All Government’s development plans, and policies including those to reach the Millennium Development goal as well as its budgets in each ministries are discussed and decided through the ministry meetings with the related committees.

Achievement of MDGs 3,4,5,6

In regards to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals particularly MDGs 3,4,5,6 Indonesia has reached the followings :


Goal 3 : Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women.

Target 4 : Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education, preferably
by 2025, and in all levels of educations no later than 2015.

The Indonesian government through Presidential Instruction Number 9, 2000 has laid the legal foundation for gender mainstreaming in all aspects of national development. The government has also taken strategic step to socialize gender perspective, showing her willingness to implement Gender Mainstreaming strategy, in both development program and policies as well as in Laws and regulation issued as the legal foundation for government activities.

Thanks to the gender mainstreaming strategy in all development policies and programs, in general Indonesia has made a clear progress in promoting gender equality and improvement of women in many aspects.

The main indicator is the ratio of girls to boys in primary, secondary and tertiary education, where Indonesia has almost reach the target, with ratios of 99,4 % at primary school, 99,9 % in junior secondary school, 100 % in senior secondary school, and 102,5 % in tertiary education. One of the measures used by government of Indonesia to reach the target is launching the “Nine Years Compulsory Education Program” (Wajar) for every boy and girl.

The second indicator is the ratio of literate women to men, aged 15-24 years old, which Indonesia almost reach the target with a ratio of 99,9 %, thanks to the government’s “Study Group Program A,B,C” (Kejar Paket A,B,C) launched 12 years ago to eliminate illiteration in the country.

The third indicator i.e. the share of women in wage employment in all non-agricultural sectors. In a strong patriarchal culture like Indonesia, the current value is only 33 %, still away from reaching the target of 50 %.

Similar case happens in the fourth indicator i.e. the proportion seats held by women in National Parliament which at the moment only reach 11,3 %. To overcome this, the government together with the Parliament just amended the Election Law which stipulates that only political party which put at least 30 % women as their candidates for general election which are eligible to take part at the coming General Election in 2009.


Goal 4 : Reduce Child Mortality.

The main indicator is the under-five mortality rate, where the MDGs target is 32 deaths per thousand live births in 2015. At the moment Indonesia has reached 40 per 1.000 live births so it already reach the MDGs target. However the report from BPS Susenas shows that a greater share of deaths take place in the first days, weeks or months of life, that means we have to improve the health protection program for the neonatals.

The second indicator is the proportion of one-year-old children immunized against measles where the number has increased to 72 % in infants and 82 among children of 12-23 months old which still have to be increased more to reach the target. However, at present Indonesia has immunized most of the children. By 2005, 88 % against diphtheria, whooping cough and typhoid although only half of them received the full course. 82 % against TB, 72 % against Hepatitis. With the Polio outbreak incident in 2005 the government had to revitalize its immunization program especially for polio. This included public education for the parents on the importance of immunization program as prevention measure against various diseases and higher budget allocation proposed by Parliaments to ensure good vaccine supplies and distribution as well as a more organized health system.


Goal 5 : Improve Maternal Health

Target 6 : Reduce by three-quarter, between 1990 and 2005, the maternal mortality
ratio.

Maternal Mortality Ratio in Indonesia has come down from 450 per 100.000 live births in 1990 to around 307 in 2007, and should reach 110 by 2015, it means it is still far behind the target. The causes of death are delivery complications like obstructed labour and haemorrhage, where most of them are treatable or preventable if they get easy access to skilled birth attendant (doctor, midwive) especially those living in the remote areas, who are poor, undernourished and prone to anemia. Or if they get access to effective contraceptives.

To solve this problem, Parliament supports the Government (Minister of Health) program to train more midwives to be placed in every village all over Indonesia, and improve the health services of all District Hospitals and Communities Health Services especially for emergency due to delivery complications
.

Goal 6 : Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Other Diseases

Target 7 : Have halted by 2015 and begun to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Even if the current prevalence is 0,1 % nationally but at present there is no indication that Indonesia is halting the spread of HIV/AIDS, since data shows that for the past 5 years there is a fast increase of numbers of people living with HIV/AIDS, where from 1987 to March 2007 there were 8.988 cases of AIDS, out of that 1.994 died, as reported by National AIDS Commission (KPA).

In most of Indonesia, infections are still concentrated among two high-risk groups; injecting drug users and sex workers. One of most critical issues is the low use of condoms, even among commercial sex workers, who are only around half use condoms. There is thus the potential for HIV to spread rapidly. According to the Ministry of Health, there would be half a million people infected by 2010, or even a million, if the government does not take effective action.

Therefore Parliament support the government effort in combating HIV/AIDS to programs through public education, youth reproductive health education, HIV test, distributing free condoms at red-lights district, and free needles to drug users. Despite the fact that Indonesia is still supported by the Global Fund in combating HIV/AIDS, Malaria and TB, Indonesia has recently succeeded to produce its own ARV to cure HIV/AIDS and also medications to combat TB given to patients through DOTS (Directly-Observed Treatment Short-Course) program to cure 582.000 cases/year in Indonesia. Through this DOTS program, where daily doses of three or four drugs taken over six month are supervised carefully, to ensure that the patient finish the full course of the medication. Thanks to DOTS, Indonesia has already met the target of MDG which is to reverse the spread of the disease (91%). Similar case is for Malaria, when the drugs have been produced locally thus we can lower the incidents to 18,6
Million cases per year.

The Role of Women Parliamentarian

To ensure the governance, accountability, and sustainability of all the programs to meet MDGs, especially goal 3,4,5,6-the focus of the discussion in this seminars, Indonesian Parliaments and Parliamentarian through their 3 (three) function: legislation, oversight and budgeting should become the driving force for the government to fulfill all international commitment like MDGs, ICPD, Beijing Platform of Actions.

Together with the Government of Indonesia, Parliament has done the followings :

a) Amending Health Law to include Reproductive Health Right.
b) Amending Population Law.
c) Advocating the Local Parliament, since Indonesia is now entering the Regional Autonomy and Decentralization era and empowering the local government, hence the crucial role of the district government leaders to succeed the programs of achieving MDGs as well as the goals of the country development programs.
d) Improving Health Insurance Scheme for the poor.
e) To Strongly propose to the government to increase Health National Budget from 2,6 % at present to 5-6 % of the National Budget (compared to the Budget for Education which is 20 % of the National Budget).

Implementing all the above mentioned measures will ensure the government of Indonesia to reach the objective of the Agenda 3 of the Middle Term Development Agenda 2004-2009 i.e : To Improve People’s Welfare as well as achieving the targets and goals of MDGs.


Conclusion

In its serious efforts to implement gender-mainstreaming strategy, beside the
General Instruction for the implementation of Gender Mainstreaming in Regional Development, issued by the Minister of Home Affairs in a circular letter Number 132, 203 following the previous regulation on gender elation, Law No. 7, 1984 on the ratification of the convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), the GOI also launches Law No. 25, 2004 on National Development Planning System, especially in Chapter 12 on the quality improvement of women’s welfare and child’s protection. In the same Law, gender is also mainstreamed in thirteen other Chapters as the basis for the implementation of gender mainstreaming strategies in each aspect of development.

However there is still discrepancy between program and policies on one side and the actual practice. Women Parliaments have to make their ways to be heard for their aspirations, especially those related to women’s interest, needs and rights. In the strong patriarchal culture like Indonesia, it is still one of the obstacles for people to really willing to listen to women’s voice, even in the parliament. Men parliamentarians are outnumbered their women colleagues and from the small number of them not all are willing to be actively involved in articulating their aspiration. In Indonesia, since women are also affected by the existing gender construction, sensitivity to women’s issue is not something given for them. This goes for both women legislative member as well as the executives. Not every woman aware of women’s rights and problem and often time they are unresponsive to the need of women. Consequently they do not always willing to support others who are fighting for those rights or participate in solving the problem. Aspiration and proposal that meets the needs of women will only accepted or get through if they are supported by many and continuously and consistently articulated in the parliamentarian hearings. But since both women legislative and executive are not fully aware of the importance of the issues, they are often times ignored. There is also absolutely no guarantee that women executives (bureaucrats) always aware of women’s interest, needs, rights, and problems.

It gets worse when it comes to actual budget allocation for the planned programs. Here, there is also inconsistency between the government gender mainstreaming strategy in its development policy and program, and the actual process of planning and budgeting. Currently, local government budget in Indonesia does not have yet gender perspective. As a result, the impact does not bring equal benefit for both women and men. Hence the role of women (and men) Parliamentarian as well as the executives who are gender sensitive on fighting for gender planning and gender budget is very crucial and should be strengthened. Especially since we are already committed to fulfill the international agreement like Millennium Development Goals, International Conference of Population Development Program Actions, and Beijing Platform of Actions, as well as our own Development Agenda.


……development, if not engendered, would be endangered…
(UNDP 1996)



References :

Edriana Noerdin et al, “Decentralization as a Narrative of Opportunity for
Women in Indonesia”, Women Research Institute, Jakarta, 2007.
Peter Stalker, “Let’s Speak Out for MDGs”, Achieving the Millennium
Development Goals, Bappenas, UNDP, Jakarta, 2007.
Tuti Indarsih Loekman Soetrisno, “The Role of Parliaments in Improving
Maternal Health in Indonesia”, London, 2007.
-------- ,“Gender Sensitive Budgeting for Education and Health
Programs in Indonesia”, New York, 2008.
-------- ,“Peranan Parlemen di dalam Usaha Memperbaiki Kesehatan
Ibu di Indonesia”, Jakarta, 2008.

Senator Laode Ida was elected as a member of PNoWB Board of Directors

Senator Laode Ida was elected as one of the twelve-member Board of Directors at the occasion of PNoWB ( Parliamentary Network on The World Bank ) 8th Annual Conference in Paris, 21 November 2008. It comprises of 5 members from donor countries, 3 members from Africa (2+1 additional member representing all countries from the South), 2 members from Asia, 1 member from Latin America and 1 member from the Middle East and North Africa. Members and Chair of the PNoWB Board are elected for a three-year term. The Association’s by-laws require a yearly partial renewal of the Board members at the PNoWB Annual Conference which also doubles as the PNoWB Annual General Meeting.

All of the twelve Board members elected are Hugh Bayley, United Kingdom, PNoWB Chair, Yunus Carrim, South Africa, PNoWB Vice-Chair, Monica Frassoni, Italy; PNoWB Vice-Chair, Janette Garin, Phillippines, Vice Chair, and Santiago Castro, Colombia, Treasurer, remain in the Board (Note: They initially stepped down but were re-elected). New Board members are Corina Cretu (Romania), Alain Destexhe (Belgium), Jeppe Kofod (Denmark), Fatou Ndeye Toure (Senegal), Marie-Rose Nguini Effa (Cameroon), Laode Ida (Indonesia) and Najeeb Saeed Ghanem Aldobai (Yemen).

The Board is responsible for :

1. Ensures the continued and sustainable development of the PNoWB

2. Takes the necessary actions to define the nature, the rules of procedure and the organisational settings of the Network, and to submit a proposal to this effect at the Annual Conference

3. Initiates, guides and oversees the activities of the Network

4. Represents the Network

5. Prepares the annual meeting;6. Mobilises the necessary financial resources for the Network and takes responsibility for their administration.

The Eight Annual Conference of the Parliamentary Network on the World Bank (PNoWB) was held in Paris from 20 to 22 November 2008, hosted by the French National Assembly and the French Government. The conference sought to provide participating MPs with practical knowledge, conceptual tools and other resources to address central issues on the international agenda, including climate change, the food crisis and how to make development aid more effective, fostering development at the country and regional level.

The 6th Asian Women Parliamentarians’ and Ministers’ Conference in Ulaanbaatar, 23 - 24 September 2008

Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Key to Achieving Millennium Development Goals

Senator Laode Ida, Mrs. Sri Kadarwati, Ms. Eka Komariah Kuncoro, from DPD-RI, and fellow members from DPR-RI Hj. Aisyah Hamid Baidlowi, Mrs. Tuti Indarsih Loekman Soetrisno and Mr. Awang Sofian Rozali, attended the 6th Asian Women Parliamentarians’ and Ministers’ Conference in Ulaanbaatar, September 2008.

Dr. La Ode Ida, and Ms. Eka Komariah Kunchoro spoke on Regional Autonomy and the Efforts to Achieve the MDGs in Indonesia.

They traced Indonesia’s democratization and decentralization reform efforts over the years and linked them to the quality of public services and the realization of social economic welfare. Education, health and social welfare are among the 31 policy areas over which authority is delegated to regional governments.

Local governments are crucial to the achievement of the MDGs because they have the authority to set agendas and allocate budgets. Local governments have shown strong efforts to achieve the MDGs. Indonesia has experienced downward trends in maternal mortality ratio and infant mortality rates since the 1980s. Gender equality remains a challenge, however. Dr. Ida and Ms Kunchoro showed that the number of women public servants in important positions is less than half of the men’s.

Other challenges include the lack of coordination between provincial and district authorities, inefficiency in the bureaucracy, corruption, cultural discrimination against women in public life and intervention of special interests in politics.
However, they believe that the MDGs can be achieved in Indonesia if the local governments can learn from best practices and be committed, consistent and people-oriented. It also depends on transparent, accountable and clean government, with supervision by the national government and active participation from the community.

Mrs. Tuti Indarsih Loekman Soetrisno, MP, another participant from Indonesia, spoke on Governance, Accountability and Sustainability of MDGs-related Efforts entitled Development Endangered If Not En-Gendered

She explained that Indonesia has mainstreamed gender in nearly all aspects of national development. She showed data that indicate near perfect balance (99%-100%) in the ratio of girls to boys in primary, secondary and tertiary education. However, only 33.3% of women workers are now employed in non-agricultural sectors, far short of the target of 50%. Women representation in the parliament stands now at 11.3%.

Indonesia’s immunization programme has been instrumental in protecting a high percentage of children from a number of diseases. The country’s child mortality rate is 32 per 1,000 live births in 2008 and the government has instituted a Health Protection Programme for Neonatals to lower the high number of deaths in the early period after birth.

Maternal mortality rate has dropped from 450 per 100,000 live births in 1990 to 307 in 2007, but much work remains to be done to reach the target of 110 by 2015. Among the challenges is the lack of access to skilled birth attendants in some remote areas.

Together with the government, parliamentarians have made progress in amending the Health Law to include reproductive health rights, improving health insurance scheme and increase the Health National Budget.

However, there are discrepancies between laws and policies on the one hand, and their actual implementation on the other. She pointed to patriarchic tradition and gender construction as the main barriers to the acceptance of the voice of women in the public sphere. Budget allocations have also been inconsistent and not gender-sensitive. In closing, she insisted that if not en-gendered, development would be endangered.

WORKING VISIT TO BUTON RAYA, SOUTH EAST SULAWESI, 12-14 SEPTEMBER 2008

WoORKING VISIT TO BAU BAU MUNICIPALITY, BUTON, 12 SEPTEMBER 2008

WORKING VISIT TO MAWASANGKA AND LAKUDO REGIONS OF CENTRAL BUTON, 13 SEPTEMBER 2008

DIALOGUE OF REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY THROUGH THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE NEW AUTONOMY REGION, IN BAU BAU, BUTON, 14 September 2008

The Irony of International Loan Deals

Most third world (underdeveloped) countries receive international aid from either multinational donor agencies or through bilateral cooperation. To some extent, this is to accelerate and/or materialize their own development agendas, while a few countries depend entirely on international funding. Without such aid, these underdeveloped nations would be struggling to achieve their national development goals.

There are two categories of international aid: Loans and grants. The amount of loans provided is usually large, while grants are for small projects. Subsequently, a nation aims to stimulate related loan-based activities/programs or to gain support both socially and politically from civil society and other stakeholders during program implementation.

For the purposes of this discussion, the most important thing to keep in mind is that beginning with the initial stage, after the two parties (donor agency and related government officials) have agreed to the basic principles of the development aid, the cost for project preparation is part of the country's loan.

This stage usually takes more than a year (an average of two years) and involves very expensive experts (consultants). In other words, the recipient country also uses the loan to pay for the experts -- who are mostly foreign nationals.

It means that from the beginning of the loan, most of the money tends to be sent off abroad (to the experts' origins), and only a small amount of the money goes to local beneficiaries through the local experts.

The question is: Who is involved in the decision-making process and in management of the loan? To be frank, the loan negotiations and decisions are always very secret, decided only between the executive side (related officials or ministers under consultation with the head of state) and donors, whereas the legislative or representative body and NGOs (civil society communities) are not taken into account.

It appears that the government/executives are not obliged to involve those two parties in the loan-negotiating process. It seems that parliament and NGOs merely need to know the amount and purpose of the loan once the government reaches an agreement and adds it to the state budget as a funding source for any development project for the next fiscal year.

This process that does not involve the people's representatives (parliamentarian and/or civil groups) is very ironic and must be evaluated. Why?

First, the legislative body is mandated to fight for the people's interests in the policy-making process -- including development agendas.

Generally speaking, due to their positions and daily activities, civic groups are very close to local communities, and know more about their dynamics, cultures, interests and demands.

Second, it should be kept in mind that loans are heavy burdens for future generations. Obtaining loans by using its natural resources as the guarantee appears to be easy, especially for a country such as Indonesia which is very rich in natural resources. Many countries as well as donor agencies are interested in loaning money to such countries and subsequently are involved in this process of exploitation.

Indeed, loan management in Indonesia (in the reform era) has changed slightly.

It appears that the implementation of loan management in Indonesia has been improving from time to time particularly in promoting good governance and in making an effort to eliminate corruption practices within its bureaucracy -- particularly in the relevant executive branches with which the donor agency works with.

During the past 10 years of Indonesian political transition, many authoritative elites (executive officials, politicians and businessmen) have conspired to capitalize on misused funds, requiring best practice intervention from the donor agency.

But, to some extent, I personally think that donor agencies are also trapped by their own conservative situations. Based on certain requirements, consultant companies are allowed to join tender and are then listed as permanent business partners of the donor agency -- regardless of the quality of their work.

Donor agencies are being ambushed by formal qualifications, without paying more attention to the rising number of better qualified new consultant groups which consist of more educated people, with high integrity and personal moral responsibility.

Without reforming consultant involvement within a donor-sponsored project, donor agency/ies may be seen as misusing funds on loan-based projects.

Posted in Jakarta Post, 26 Nov 2008

Accountability and Parliamentary Oversight Seminar – Helsinki, Finland 10 – 13 November 2008

LEGISLATIVE OVERSIGHT- DPD RI

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The World Bank Institute (WBI) in partnership with the Parliament of Finland conducted the Accountability and Parliamentary Oversight Seminar, which took place in Helsinki , Finland from November 10-13, 2008. This event marked 10 years of cooperation between WBI and the Parliament of Finland. The purpose of this year’s event was to bring together Members of Parliament and parliamentary staff in order to discuss the internal and external oversight mechanisms and tools available to legislatures.

Parliament’s oversight function aims to ensure that the government and its agents use their powers and available resources appropriately and with probity, and in ways that respond to the needs and interests of all members of the community. Furthermore, oversight by parliaments and other autonomous accountability institutions can help guarantee that the decisions and actions of the government stay within the bounds of the law, thereby strengthening an open and accountable democracy. Ultimately, oversight enhances public confidence in the integrity of the government’s activities and encourages all groups in the community to accept the policies of the executive branch.

This seminar brought together 25 participants from Liberia , Ghana , Nigeria , Pakistan , Sri Lanka , Thailand , Tanzania and Indonesia (two members of the Public Accounts Committee and one member of parliamentary staff from each country). The Indonesian senate ( DPD-RI ) was represented by Deputy Speaker senator Laode Ida, senator Hamdhani from Central Kalimantan and Mr. Genius Umar, Director, International Affairs Secretariat of DPD-RI. Senator Laode brought a presentation on Legislative Oversight – The Mechanism and Tools and senator Hamdhani presented An Oversight as One of DPD-RI’s Functions and Government Accountability to the Society at Large.

Senator Laode Ida spoke about the big picture of the importance of the Legislative oversight , the characteristic and category of the oversight. He also explained the mechanism of DPD-RI oversight in general. Senator Hamdhani brought more details on how article 22 D (3) of the 1945 Constitution (Indonesian Constitution) mentioned that the DPD should oversee the implementation of laws concerning:
1. Regional Autonomy
2. Formation, Expansion, and Merger of Provinces
3. Relation between Central – Local Government
4. Management of Natural Resources
5. Implementation of State Budget and its Balance Budget between the Central and Local Government
6. Taxation, Education and Religion
The results of the said oversight will be submitted to Parliament (The House of Representatives/DPR) for their consideration.

Both presenters also reported the products of the DPD-RI’s oversight for the 2004 – 2008 period, that includes : 10 Initiatives of Bill, 83 Considerations on various Bills, both proposed by The President or The Lower House, 38 Oversight Results and 23 Decisions related to the State Revenue and Budget (APBN)

CDI POLICY PAPERS ON POLITICAL GOVERNANCE - A REPORT ON DPD-RI - 2006

CDI POLICY PAPER ON DPD-RI

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