House resorts to voting on BPK nominations<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The House of Representatives (DPR) has agreed to
\nsend forward three nominees for the powerful position of chairman
\nof the Supreme Audit Board (BPK), but not before a rare vote was
\nforced upon it by the minority United Development Party (PPP).<\/p>\n
The House dropped former finance minister Mar'ie Muhammad,
\nknown as \"Mr. Clean\", from the list of names put forward to
\nPresident B.J. Habibie for a final selection. His nomination was
\nsupported by the PPP.<\/p>\n
The removal of Mar'ie paved the way to the coveted job for
\nSatrio B. Joedono, Indonesia's ambassador to France. Although
\nBilly was also known as Mr. Clean when he served as trade
\nminister before being posted to Paris, some see him as being too
\nclose to Habibie to be able to maintain his independence.<\/p>\n
The other two candidates have little chance of being selected
\nand were included simply to meet the requirement for the House to
\npresent three names. They are Bambang Wahyudi, a lecturer at
\nPadjadjaran University in Bandung, and Bambang Triaji, the
\ncurrent secretary general of the audit board.<\/p>\n
It was a hollow victory for Golkar, which together with the
\nArmed Forces (ABRI) faction used its muscles to strike Mar'ie's
\nname from the list.<\/p>\n
In the vote, two Golkar members -- Mubha Kahar Muang and Evita
\nAsmalda -- sided with the PPP and insisted that Mar'ie's name be
\nincluded in the list.<\/p>\n
Muang later said that the House should learn to respect
\ndifferences of opinion and that voting was the way to settle
\nthem.<\/p>\n
Evita and Muang said they were ready to receive whatever
\nsanctions Golkar had in store for them.<\/p>\n
\"I was representing the people rather than my organization,\"
\nEvita said of her behavior.<\/p>\n
Both said they felt that Mar'ie, renowned for his commitment
\nto fighting corruption, was a more suitable candidate for the
\njob.<\/p>\n
Four other Golkar representatives -- GPH Joyokusumo, Thomas
\nSuyatno, Prof. Juanda and Oke Supit -- abstained.<\/p>\n
\"I did not vote (with Golkar) because I had to follow my
\nconscience,\" Joyokusumo said later.<\/p>\n
The vote was taken after the House reached a deadlock over the
\nthree candidates to be sent to Habibie.<\/p>\n
Golkar, ABRI and the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) wanted
\nJoedono, while the PPP wanted Mar'ie.<\/p>\n
Of the 296 members attending the plenary session, 225 voted
\nfor Joedono and 67 supported Mar'ie. Four members abstained.<\/p>\n
House Deputy Speaker Abdul Gafur was widely criticized by PPP
\nmembers when he ruled that the vote should be done by counting
\nbodies, requiring members to stand up when each alternative was
\ncalled out.<\/p>\n
PPP representatives said the vote should have been conducted
\nby a secret ballot.<\/p>\n
\"I believe many legislators from other factions would have
\nvoted for Mar'ie if we had used a secret ballot,\" Bachtiar
\nChamsyah from the PPP faction said.<\/p>\n
Another PPP representative, Soleh Khalid, demanded that the
\nHouse secretariat provide the facilities required to hold secret
\nballots in the future.<\/p>\n
\"The House should be equipped with voting facilities because
\nwe will be voting more frequently from now on.\" he said.<\/p>\n
In the past, voting was abhorred as a \"liberal\" action and the
\nGolkar and ABRI factions used their muscle in behind the scenes
\nnegotiations to ensure consensus on all decisions.<\/p>\n
Tayo Tarmadi, spokesman for the ABRI faction, said Joedono's
\nnomination was consistent with the agreement which was reached by
\nthe House consultative committee on Sept. 11.<\/p>\n
The BPK chair has been vacant since January, when J.B.
\nSumarlin reached the mandatory retirement age. His deputy, former
\nNational Police chief Gen. Kunarto, refused the position when it
\nwas offered to him in July after it became apparent that he would
\nbe put under pressure to accept a deputy \"close\" to President
\nHabibie if he took the job.<\/p>\n
Mar'ie meanwhile told Antara on Thursday that he had rejected
\nan offer from Habibie to serve as ambassador in a European
\ncountry, saying that would rather stay in the country at a time
\nof social and political turmoil.<\/p>\n
\"I thank the government, but I'd prefer to remain in the
\ncountry,\" Mar'ie was quoted as saying. (rms)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/house-resorts-to-voting-on-bpk-nominations-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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