House factions close to reconciling<\/p>\n
Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
After boycotting all plenary and commission meetings over the
\npast two weeks, the People's Coalition agreed on Monday to attend
\nHouse of Representatives meetings beginning Tuesday (today).<\/p>\n
Their presence in the meetings would lend the needed
\nlegitimacy to the leaders of House commissions and auxiliary
\nbodies, whose electoral process was legally flawed, as less than
\nhalf of House factions showed for the election.<\/p>\n
Under the House's standing orders, a meeting may pass a
\ndecision only if more than 50 percent of both House members and
\nfactions are present.<\/p>\n
\"Following a consensus among 10 factions, we will attend the
\nTuesday plenary meeting and all other meetings of the House,\"
\nNational Mandate Party (PAN) faction chairman Abdillah Toha said
\non Monday.<\/p>\n
Leaders of the 10 House factions held a meeting on Sunday
\nevening to find a resolution to the weeks-long impasse triggered
\nby an internal disagreement on the electoral mechanism for
\nleaders of commissions and auxiliary bodies.<\/p>\n
The Nationhood Coalition -- the Golkar Party, the Indonesian
\nDemocratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), the Reform Star Party (PBR)
\nand the Prosperous Peace Party (PDS) -- along with the National
\nAwakening Party (PKB), have insisted that the posts be put to the
\nvote.<\/p>\n
The People's Coalition -- the United Development Party (PPP),
\nPAN, the Democratic Party, the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) and
\nseveral minor parties -- have insisted that the posts be
\ndistributed proportionately among House factions.<\/p>\n
The disagreement ended in a standoff that brought the House to
\na virtual standstill for almost two weeks.<\/p>\n
Abdillah said the 10 faction leaders agreed to revise the
\nHouse's standing orders, mainly on the composition of
\nchairmanship posts so that all factions would be represented.<\/p>\n
He added the revision would open the way for a reshuffle in
\nthe commission chairmanship based on the proportionate scheme
\ndemanded by the People's Coalition.<\/p>\n
The posts of chairman for House commissions are currently all
\nheld by the Nationhood Coalition.<\/p>\n
Separately, Bursah Zarnubi of the PBR faction confirmed that
\nthe 10 factions had agreed to revise the House's standing orders.<\/p>\n
He said, however, that they had not reached an agreement on
\nthe articles to be revised.<\/p>\n
\"Most likely, the plenary meeting will assign the House's
\nLegislative Body (Baleg) to hold an in-depth discussion of the
\nrevision,\" Bursah told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
PKB faction chairman Ali Masykur Musa said the faction was
\nready to discuss revisions to the House's standing orders.<\/p>\n
\"We welcome the readiness of the five factions to attend the
\nplenary meeting. So far, we have not yet received the revision
\nconcept,\" Ali said.<\/p>\n
The House has been criticized for the internal power struggle
\nthat led to a prolonged deadlock, with pro-government People's
\nCoalition boycotting all meetings and hearings.<\/p>\n
Despite the boycott, however, the Nationhood Coalition and the
\nPKB, which together hold 309 of 547 of House seats, went ahead
\nwith meetings because they had secured a majority.<\/p>\n
They also revised the House's standing orders and scrapped a
\nstipulation that a House meeting required more than half the
\nfactions to be legitimate.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/house-factions-close-to-reconciling-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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