Legislators jeer, ridicule Akbar in House<\/p>\n
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Convicted corrupter Akbar Tandjung has clearly lost the respect
\nof fellow politicians as legislators frantically interrupted a
\nplenary session he chaired on Tuesday, questioning his
\ncredibility to lead the meeting.<\/p>\n
Shouting at the top of their voices, legislators interrupted
\nthe meeting, the first Akbar has chaired after being found guilty
\nof corruption and sentenced to three years in prison on Sept. 4,
\nthe legislators demanded that a petition seeking his ouster be
\nread out before the session proceeded.<\/p>\n
\"Assembly Decree No. VI\/2000 stipulates that all government
\nofficials with questionable credibility be suspended,\" legislator
\nSusono Yusuf of the National Awakening Party (PKB) said.<\/p>\n
Akbar, who is also chairman of the Golkar Party, the second
\nbiggest faction in the House of Representatives (DPR), is
\ncurrently House speaker.<\/p>\n
Susono's remark received immediate support from fellow PKB
\nlegislators, who insisted that the petition be read out.<\/p>\n
\"It is in the House' internal ruling that all incoming
\npetitions must be read out in the plenary session. When was the
\nregulation changed?\" Panda Nababan of the Indonesian Democratic
\nParty of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) asked.<\/p>\n
Representatives of 72 legislators submitted a petition on
\nMonday seeking Akbar's ouster as House speaker claiming he was
\nnot deserving of the post following his guilty verdict and three-
\nyear prison sentence.<\/p>\n
Akbar fought back against the onslaught, trying very hard not
\nto have the letter read. He also intentionally avoided mentioning
\nthe substance of the petition, simply referring to as \"a document
\nsigned by 72 legislators.\"<\/p>\n
\"The House speakers had agreed to give the document to the
\nHouse steering committee for further discussion, so please let us
\ncontinue with the session,\" said Akbar, trying very hard to
\nmaintain his composure.<\/p>\n
His statement prompted some legislators to shout loudly
\ndemanding that the session be discontinued.<\/p>\n
They, however, calmed down after Akbar said that the document
\nwould be distributed to all legislators later on.<\/p>\n
The House decided on Tuesday to discuss the petition in the
\nsteering committee on Thursday, along with a proposal to
\nestablish a disciplinary committee for legislators that had poor
\nattendance during House sessions.<\/p>\n
Dozens of legislators chose to leave the session after the
\ndecision was taken.<\/p>\n
\"I cannot believe that the House speaker chose to ignore such
\na big problem that could damage our credibility,\" said Dwi Ria
\nLatifa of PDI Perjuangan, expressing her disappointment.<\/p>\n
Akbar, apparently wanted to reassert his authority when he
\ndecided to chair Tuesday's plenary meeting himself, a function he
\nnormally delegated to his deputies.<\/p>\n
But he seemed to have underestimated fellow legislators'
\nresistance to his leadership after his conviction in a corruption
\ncase involving the State Logistics Agency (Bulog). He has
\nappealed the verdict.<\/p>\n
Calls have also increased for Akbar to resign, or at least to
\nvoluntarily step aside pending the appeal. Akbar, however, has
\nresisted the demands, arguing that the court verdict is not yet
\nlegally binding.<\/p>\n
The last time Akbar presided over a plenary session was the
\nopening session of the current sitting period on Aug. 19.<\/p>\n
The decision to discuss the petition opposing Akbar's
\nleadership in the House steering committee was a step forward for
\na move against him as the committee will set a date for the
\nplenary session to discuss the issue.<\/p>\n
In the plenary session, each faction will offer a general
\nstandpoint on the issue before the House decides whether to
\naccept the proposal or not.<\/p>\n
The House needs more than 250 legislators from different
\nfactions to attend the session to reach a decision, and it will
\nrequire more than 125 legislators to approve the proposal to oust
\nAkbar.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Golkar continues to strike back, claiming that they
\nhave collected more than 80 signatures to counter the petition.<\/p>\n
\"We have gathered 80 signatures of legislators who object to
\nthe call for Akbar's suspension,\" Ferry Mursyidan Baldan of
\nGolkar said.<\/p>\n
Golkar would have little difficulty in gathering the
\nsignatures as they are the second largest faction at the House
\nwith 120 legislators.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/legislators-jeer-ridicule-akbar-in-house-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}