Akbar wants Golkar to get House speakership<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Political parties grouped under the Nationhood Coalition reached
\nan agreement on Thursday to back Golkar Party candidate Agung
\nLaksono for the post of speaker of the House of Representatives.<\/p>\n
The decision is the latest acid test for the political
\ngrouping, after it failed to get its candidate Megawati
\nSoekarnoputri, the leader of the Indonesian Democratic Party of
\nStruggle (PDI-P), elected and now is in disarray.<\/p>\n
In a meeting that was attended by Megawati, as well as Golkar
\nleader and outgoing House speaker Akbar Tandjung, United
\nDevelopment Party (PPP) leader Hamzah Haz and leader of the
\nProsperous Peace Party (PDS) Ruyandi Hutasoit, the coalition
\nagreed to support Akbar's hand-picked successor.<\/p>\n
Seats for vice speakers will likely go to members of the PPP,
\nPDI-P and the National Awakening Party (PKB).<\/p>\n
The coalition members also agreed that the speakership for the
\nPeople's Consultative Assembly should be allocated for a PDI-P
\ncandidate.<\/p>\n
\"The scheme was clear, but we can't disclose names of
\ncandidates,\" said Reform Star Party (PBR) executive Bursah
\nZarnubi, who attended the meeting.<\/p>\n
PBR came on the scene to join the coalition at the last
\nminute, as did the Concern for the Nation Functional Party
\n(PKPB), which was founded by R. Hartono, a self-proclaimed
\ndevotee of former president Soeharto.<\/p>\n
The coalition, which was announced on Aug. 19, will control
\nthe majority of the 550-seat House. The largest faction, Golkar
\nhas 127 seats, with PDI-P at 109, PPP with 58 and PDS with 13.<\/p>\n
The coalition will face a challenge from the candidate put
\nforth by the Democratic Party and the Prosperous Justice Party,
\nwhose presidential candidate Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is heading
\nfor a landslide win.<\/p>\n
PDI-P legislator Arifin Panigoro, who has openly opposed the
\ncoalition, could emerge as a dark horse as he has been nominated
\nby a number of small factions. Arifin has suggested that the
\nNationhood Coalition be dissolved after failing to win support
\nfrom grassroots members.<\/p>\n
Akbar has openly demanded that all coalition members back his
\ncandidate, as part of their cooperation pact they signed in
\nAugust. They said at that time the coalition would be a long-term
\none.<\/p>\n
However, the coalition has borne little fruit as Megawati
\nlagged far behind Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in the General
\nElections Commission (KPU) computerized vote count.<\/p>\n
Golkar named deputy chairman Agung its candidate for the House
\nspeakership post during an executive meeting late on Wednesday.
\nAgung, a former state minister of youth affairs and sports, beat
\nsenior party members Mahadi Sinambela and Budi Harsono in a vote.<\/p>\n
The executives also decided that Golkar must also grab the
\nspeakership at the People's Consultative Assembly and proposed
\nsenior member Theo L. Sambuaga, a former minister in Soeharto's
\nlast Cabinet.<\/p>\n
\"Our candidate could win the seat if members of the Nationhood
\nCoalition throw their support behind us,\" Akbar was quoted by
\nAntara as saying.<\/p>\n
He said that Golkar being granted the House speakership was
\nthe logical consequence of the party garnering the most votes in
\nthe April 5 legislative elections.<\/p>\n
Akbar did not run in the legislative election as he was hoping
\nto win the nomination from his party to be its presidential
\ncandidate, but he lost to Wiranto.<\/p>\n
The election of the House speaker will take place shortly
\nafter the legislators are installed on Friday. On Saturday, the
\nAssembly members, who comprise House legislators and Regional
\nRepresentative Council members, will elect the Assembly speaker.<\/p>",
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