Agung, Megawati should learn strategy from Akbar<\/p>\n
Kornelius Purba, The Jakarta Post<\/p>\n
The anger Megawati Soekarnoputri still feels toward her former
\nsubordinate, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, combined with
\nthe incompetence of House of Representatives Speaker Agung
\nLaksono in manipulating his gavel to defend the government was
\narguably the main trigger of the fracas on Wednesday among House
\nmembers.<\/p>\n
Megawati came close to fulfilling her ambition to force Susilo
\n-- her former key Cabinet member -- to swallow his own words that
\nhe would stick to his decision to raise the fuel price at any
\ncost, by demanding an open vote to decide once and for all the
\nfate of the fuel hike policy. Until now, Megawati cannot forgive
\nSusilo, whom she branded a traitor for running in the
\npresidential election last year. Her husband Taufik Kiemas
\ndescribed him as a childish general.<\/p>\n
Agung, who is also Golkar Party deputy leader, easily
\noutmaneuvered her with the thud of his gavel, which meant there
\nwould be no immediate vote to accept or reject the fuel hike.<\/p>\n
Thus, the House was offered just two options: First, to vote
\non whether the related House commissions were able to hold
\nfurther discussions with the government, or second, to
\nimmediately decide on its stance on the issue.<\/p>\n
If the second option were chosen, another vote would have to
\nbe arranged on whether the House should accept or reject the
\npolicy.<\/p>\n
Legislators from Megawati's party and the second largest
\nfaction in the House after Golkar, the Indonesian Democratic
\nParty of Struggle (PDI-P), jumped up on the House's podium to
\nprotest the decision, and the gavel nearly caused Agung to be
\nknocked out himself.<\/p>\n
For the PDI-P, Agung's hasty action of pounding down the gavel
\nto announce the two options meant Megawati had lost the perfect
\nchance to humiliate the President, by annulling his decision to
\nraise the fuel price. The National Awakening Party (PKB) and the
\nProsperous Peace Party (PDS) also supported the PDI-P's stance.
\nSeeing the Speaker physically threatened, several Golkar
\nlegislators came to the rescue of their comrade.<\/p>\n
Watching the brawl on TV, people might say,\"Not only South
\nKorean and Taiwanese legislators punch each other -- our own
\nlegislators are no less wild than them.\"<\/p>\n
The other seven parties, including the Prosperous Justice
\nParty (PKS) and the United Development Party (PPP) -- which are
\nalso against the price hike -- still prefer to hand the issue
\nover to the House commissions, although they had previously
\nreached a deadlock.<\/p>\n
Agung succeeded in carrying out the mission of his party boss,
\nVice President Jusuf Kalla, to provide another opportunity for
\nthe government to reduce resistance against the fuel increase. If
\nthe PDI-P had succeeded in advancing its agenda, the House's
\nrejection of the fuel policy would have been highly possible.<\/p>\n
The House's fatal flaw may not be legislators' immaturity but
\nthat Agung lacks the trickery of his predecessor, Akbar Tandjung.
\nHis action was too blatant, though still acceptable in the eyes
\nof the House. Unlike Akbar -- who was Golkar leader until
\nDecember last year -- Agung has no grass roots support. He became
\nspeaker only with the support of Megawati and Akbar. While Akbar
\nwas Golkar leader, the two parties acted as the opposition to
\nSusilo's government.<\/p>\n
No doubt, Megawati knows full well that the fuel subsidy
\nreduction is essential, and during her three-year ruling she
\nintroduced the same policy herself, though it was short-lived.<\/p>\n
Not only her party, but other political parties agree with the
\nrationale behind the fuel price decision, but in public they
\npretend that they are wholeheartedly against it, for their own
\ninterests.<\/p>\n
Such an embarrassing performance by the legislators is very
\nlikely not going to be a one-off. It will happen again, every
\ntime the President is not able to reach a compromise when dealing
\nwith the House. It is natural for Agung to defend the
\ngovernment's position, although as speaker he is in fact expected
\nto speak on behalf of the people. Perhaps the best option for him
\nwould be to learn from Akbar's strategy in tense times.<\/p>\n
Megawati, who still hopes to be reelected as party leader at
\nthe PDI-P congress next week, also needs to learn from Akbar as
\nto how to vent her anger and take revenge in a more sophisticated
\nway.<\/p>",
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