House votes to question President<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The House of Representatives overwhelmingly
\napproved on Thursday an interpellation motion to question
\nPresident Abdurrahman Wahid over the recent dismissal of two of
\nhis economic ministers.<\/p>\n
Preceded by a fierce debate, House members voted 332 to 63 to
\nsupport the interpellation proposal in an open vote.<\/p>\n
The supporters of the motion were predominantly legislators
\nfrom the Golkar Party and the Indonesian Democratic Party of
\nStruggle (PDI Perjuangan), whose cadres, Yusuf Kalla and
\nLaksamana Sukardi, were dismissed late in April as minister of
\nindustry and trade and state minister of investment and state
\nenterprises development respectively.<\/p>\n
Those who were opposed were from the National Awakening Party
\n(PKB) faction which Abdurrahman helped establish. Two tiny
\nfactions -- the eight-member Indonesian Unity and Nationalism
\n(FKKI) faction and the five-member Love and Democratic Nation
\n(PDKB) faction -- also challenged the proposal.<\/p>\n
All 34 legislators from the Indonesian Military\/Police
\nfaction, one PDI Perjuangan legislator and another from the
\nPeople's Sovereignty faction chose to abstain in the three-hour
\nplenary session which began at about 10 a.m.<\/p>\n
A total of 431 legislators attended the session which was
\npresided over by House Deputy Speaker A.M. Fatwa.<\/p>\n
Commenting on the vote results, House Speaker Akbar Tandjung
\nsaid the interpellation was aimed at cautioning Abdurrahman over
\nhis controversial statements.<\/p>\n
\"It's a warning to the President that the House is always
\nwatching his political policy,\" Akbar, who chairs the Golkar
\nParty, said after the plenary session.<\/p>\n
Akbar, who also was in support of the proposal, was quick to
\nadd that the interpellation had no political consequences for the
\nPresident, and could not even lead to the President's ousting.<\/p>\n
The House gave Abdurrahman until July 21 to reply before a
\nplenary session.<\/p>\n
Akbar said legislators who were dissatisfied with the
\nPresident's explanation of the case could use a right to release
\nopinion.<\/p>\n
\"The interpellation results will be brought before the General
\nSession of the People's Consultative Assembly in August as part
\nof our annual report,\" he said.<\/p>\n
An exchange of arguments prevailed shortly after PDI
\nPerjuangan legislator Didi Suprianto read out the interpellation
\nproposal, which was originally initiated by Golkar.<\/p>\n
Didi said House members did not intend to question the
\nPresident's prerogative to dismiss his ministers but \"to ask for
\nan explanation and to question the inconsistent reasons of the
\ndismissals\".<\/p>\n
Citing a House internal ruling, PKB legislator Yusuf Muhammad
\ncontended that asking for an explanation and questioning the
\nPresident required different procedures. He said the topic of the
\ninterpellation should be restricted to the President's policies.<\/p>\n
Another PKB legislator, A. Effendy Choirie, questioned the
\ninterpellation move since Abdurrahman revealed his reasons to
\ndismiss Kalla and Laksamana during a closed-door meeting.<\/p>\n
\"What's the consequence for legislators who leak the results
\nof a closed-door meeting which should have been kept secret,\"
\nEffendy said.<\/p>\n
Some legislators quoted Abdurrahman as saying that the two
\nministers were fired due to alleged corruption, collusion and
\nnepotism practices.<\/p>\n
As the debate dragged on, PDI Perjuangan faction chairman
\nArifin Panigoro asked A.M. Fatwa to suspend the session to allow
\nall 10 factions in the House to lobby. No agreement was reached
\nbut to vote.<\/p>\n
All PDI Perjuangan's 130 legislators, except Aberson Marle
\nSihaloho and Marah Simon Muhammad Syah, were in favor of the
\nproposal. Aberson rejected the proposal while Marah abstained.<\/p>\n
\"I'm sure that my party would not impose any sanctions over my
\nstance. We are a democratic party,\" the senior politician said.<\/p>\n
But Arifin said punishment awaited the two legislators, which
\nranged from a warning to dismissal.<\/p>\n
Later in the day, Akbar put pressure on the government over
\nits decision to detain Bank Indonesia Governor Sjahril Sabirin,
\nwho has been named a suspect in the Bank Bali scandal.<\/p>\n
\"I find no reason to keep him in detention as he has not
\nhampered the ongoing investigation. If he wanted to escape
\ncharges, he could have accepted the President's offer to become
\nan ambassador,\" Akbar announced after visiting Sjahril for 20
\nminutes at the Attorney General's Office detention
\ncenter.(jun\/bby)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/house-votes-to-question-president-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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