Internal spat leaves House in vacuum<\/p>\n
Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
A plenary meeting attended by five of the 10 factions in the
\nHouse of Representatives endorsed on Wednesday members of 11
\nHouse commissions and five auxiliary bodies, but rival factions
\nand an expert dismissed the session as invalid.<\/p>\n
The factions that make up the Nationhood Coalition -- Golkar
\nParty, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), the
\nReform Star Party (PBR) and the Prosperous Peace Party (PDS), as
\nwell as the National Awakening Party (PKB), went ahead with the
\nplenary meeting even as other factions in the House boycotted the
\nsession for a second consecutive day.<\/p>\n
Faction members of the People's Coalition -- the United
\nDevelopment Party (PPP), the Democratic Party, the National
\nMandate Party (PAN), the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) and the
\nDemocratic Pioneer Reform faction -- stayed away from a scheduled
\nplenary meeting on Tuesday, forcing House Speaker Agung Laksono
\nto delay the meeting until Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Article 203 of the House's standing orders stipulate that a
\nHouse meeting can take a decision only if attended by more than
\nhalf of the members representing more than half of the factions
\nin the House.<\/p>\n
While the meeting on Wednesday was attended by 309 of 547
\nHouse members, legally the plenary session had no authority to
\nmake a decision as it was not attended by more than half of the
\nfactions in the House.<\/p>\n
The five factions, however, went ahead with the meeting,
\narguing that each legislator was autonomous.<\/p>\n
\"We understand the stipulation in the House's standing orders,
\nbut I think each legislator is autonomous. We must start working
\nnow and continue these proceedings,\" said Sutjipto of the PDI-P
\nduring the meeting.<\/p>\n
The plenary session also endorsed working partners for each
\ncommission and formed a special committee to revise the House's
\nstanding orders to require that a meeting need only be attended
\nby more than half of the House members to qualify to issue
\nbinding agreements.<\/p>\n
Legislator Djuhad Mahja of United Development Party said the
\nplenary session was illegitimate and its decisions invalid.<\/p>\n
\"They can organize a meeting, but they cannot make any
\ndecisions,\" Djuhad said.<\/p>\n
The factions that make up the People's Coalition, which are
\nknown to support President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, appealed to
\nthe Nationhood Coalition to agree to a meeting to renegotiate the
\nchairmanship posts.<\/p>\n
Tomy A. Legowo from the Centre for Strategic and International
\nStudies also said the plenary meeting on Wednesday was
\nillegitimate.<\/p>\n
\"Consequently, decisions taken in the meeting are invalid,\" he
\ntold The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
Tomy, who is also director of House watchdog Formappi,
\nsuggested the 10 factions sit down together and settle their
\ndifferences.<\/p>\n
Members of the People's Coalition decided not to attend the
\nplenary session after their demands that commission and auxiliary
\nbody chairs be assigned in proportion to seat numbers in the
\nHouse were rejected by the Nationhood Coalition and the PKB.<\/p>\n
House leaders and faction chairs had agreed on Oct. 18 to
\ndistribute the leadership posts proportionally. Under the
\nproportional system, Golkar would have about four commission
\nchairs, PDI-P three, PAN, PPP and PD two, and PKB one.<\/p>\n
This agreement was abandoned allegedly after the PKB insisted
\nthat it should receive two commission chairmanships. The PKB,
\nunder the leadership of Ali Masykur Musa, then approached the
\nNationhood Coalition and offered support for its proposal to put
\nthe leadership posts to a vote.<\/p>\n
Under this new scheme, Golkar, the PDI-P and the PKB would get
\nseven, six and three chairmanship posts, respectively, an
\narrangement that could pose a formidable challenge to Susilo.<\/p>",
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