House's Plenary Meeting Approves Establisment of Intelligence Supervisory Team

Jakarta, Jan 26 (Antara) - The House's plenary meeting approved the establishment of an intelligence supervisory team comprising 14 members of the House of Representatives (DPR) led by Mahfudz Sidik. "Based on the mandate of Law No. 17 of 2011 on State Intelligence, the establishment of an intelligence supervisory team can be approved," DPR Deputy Speaker Fadli Zon stated here on Tuesday. All members of the DPR attending the plenary meeting ratified the establishment of the intelligence supervisory team. The swearing-in ceremony was led by House Speaker Ade Komaruddin. The members of the intelligence supervisory team are: 1. Mahfudz Sidik (Chairman) 2. Tantowi Yahya 3. Asril Tandjung 4. Hanafi Rais 5. T.B. Hasanuddin 6. A. Fernandez 7. Ahmad Muzani 8. Joko Pujianto 9. Budiyotastri 10. Saiful Bahri Ansori 11. Ahmad Zainuddin 12. A. Dimyati Natakusumah 13. Supiadin Ari Saputra 14. M. Arief Suditomo. Deputy Chairman of Commission I Hanafi Rais stated that the team will monitor intelligence organizers externally. "The supervisory team will work when the intelligence agencies violate the rules. This is an external supervision," he noted. Rais said the team will handle unfair arrests, wiretapping without court permission, and so on. He noted that the team will conduct regular meetings. "The team can call anyone for instance, intelligence agencies, experts, or people linked to the case. All the state's secrets will be upheld," he affirmed. The DPR had earlier expressed its readiness to revise Law No. 9 of 2013 on the prevention and eradication of terrorism in the fourth session of the 2015-2016 period. "The DPR is ready to revise the terrorism law in a bid to safeguard the people," Komaruddin stated here on Friday. Since the onset, the House has conveyed its decision to President Joko Widodo during a consultation meeting of state institutions on Tuesday (Jan. 19) concerning the terrorism act, he noted. Komaruddin remarked that the DPR had expressed its willingness to revise the law if the president issued a government regulation in lieu of law (Perppu). The revision was expected to offer security to the community by improving the law. The terrorism act was listed in the 2016 National Legislation Program (Prolegnas).