Local reps, Interst Group: A tale of two factions<\/p>\n
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Legislators from the Regional Representatives faction hummed a
\nhappy tune on Friday after eventually winning back their faction
\nstatus in the Assembly after two years of bitter struggle to
\nretain it.<\/p>\n
But the members from the Interest Group faction sung a
\ndifferent tune because their fate remained in a state of limbo.<\/p>\n
The very presence of the members of the Interest Group faction
\nat the 700-strong People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) remained
\nin question, despite official endorsement in the Constitution.
\nTheir hope was that the Assembly would vote against amending the
\nConstitution to push them out of the MPR completely.<\/p>\n
The 65-member Interest Group faction, which consists of non-
\nelected representatives from various professions, intellectual
\ngroups and religious organizations, did retain strong support
\nfrom the 38-member Military\/Police faction.<\/p>\n
The Regional Representatives faction, however, have always had
\nthe backing of the Golkar Party, the MPR's second largest
\nfaction, because they were traditional allies in the New Order
\nera that ended in 1999.<\/p>\n
The former members of the Regional Representatives faction,
\nwho were spun-off to other political factions after it was
\nliquidated in 1999, will now be free to return or to stay with
\ntheir present factions.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan)
\nfaction, which earlier opposed the reinstatement of the faction,
\nfinally expressed half-hearted support after an apparent deal was
\ndone with Golkar.<\/p>\n
\"Our main reason to finally agree is not because we want to
\nuse the issue to win the people's heart for our political
\ninterest, but simply to maintain cooperation among legislators,\"
\nPDI Perjuangan faction spokesman I Dewa Gede Palguna said.<\/p>\n
Part of the fight for reinstatement was the infamous jostling
\nmatch at the opening of the Annual Session last week when some of
\nthe regional representatives stormed the podium demanding that
\nthe faction be revived right then and there.<\/p>\n
Exactly half of the regional representatives (65) are also
\nGolkar Party members.<\/p>",
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