PDI-P faction asks Council speaker Edy to step down<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI
\nPerjuangan) faction in the City Council demanded on Tuesday that
\nEdy Waluyo resign as speaker over what it termed an illegitimate
\nplenary session held over the weekend to approve the draft city
\nbudget.<\/p>\n
\"The speaker is not cooperative. We will propose his
\nreplacement and announce our stance on the draft budget on Jan.
\n8,\" the faction's chairman, Audi I.Z. Tambunan, said.<\/p>\n
Audi said Edy failed to heed the faction's wishes,
\nparticularly its request to push back the meeting until mid-
\nJanuary from its original schedule of Dec. 22 because of what it
\nsaid was a lack of time to deliberate the many issues surrounding
\nthe draft budget.<\/p>\n
The faction officially wrote to Edy asking for the delay, but
\ninstead he allowed a secret vote that resulted in the plenary
\nsession being rescheduled for Dec. 30.<\/p>\n
During the session, the council approved the Rp 7.49 trillion
\n(US$788.42 million) 2001 budget proposal despite a walkout by the
\n19 PDI Perjuangan councillors registered for the session.<\/p>\n
PDI Perjuangan has the most number of representatives in the
\n84-strong City Council with 30, followed by the United
\nDevelopment Party (PPP) and the National Mandate Party (PAN) with
\n13 seats each.<\/p>\n
The majority faction has accused the city administration of
\nignoring the needs of the people in the budget by proposing a
\ngreater amount of routine expenditures compared to development
\nexpenditures.<\/p>\n
Minor changes have been made to the final draft budget, with
\nroutine expenditures being reduced to Rp 4.98 trillion from Rp
\n5.02 trillion and development expenditures increased to Rp 2.51
\ntrillion from Rp 2.47 trillion.<\/p>\n
PDI Perjuangan faction deputy chairman Agung Iman Soemanto
\nsaid Edy also failed to heed the faction's request for a break
\nprior to a decision being made on the draft budget during
\nSaturday's session.<\/p>\n
\"We reminded the speaker that during the review of the draft
\ncity budget he offered a flexible schedule. The speaker himself
\nalso announced that the endorsement of the draft would be delayed
\nuntil mid-January,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Another PDI Perjuangan councillor, Binsar Tambunan, said the
\nsession did not fulfill the quorum because only 33 councillors
\nregistered for the plenary meeting.<\/p>\n
But the spokesman for the City Council, Rubingan, said
\nSaturday session was attended by 45 councillors.<\/p>\n
The City Council's internal rules stipulate that a simple
\nmajority of 43 councillors is needed to make a vote valid.<\/p>\n
Binsar also said the decision was taken without hearing the
\nopinion of all factions, which was the stated purpose of the
\nplenary session.<\/p>\n
Separately, a legal expert from Semarang's Diponegoro
\nUniversity, Satjipto Rahardjo, said the council's approval of the
\ndraft city budget was valid so long as it was made in accordance
\nwith the existing regulations.<\/p>\n
\"Actually, the PDI Perjuangan faction didn't need to walk out
\nof the meeting. They should have just submitted a written note
\nduring the meeting acknowledging their difference of opinion.
\nThat would have been more elegant,\" he told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
When asked about the mechanisms of decision-making in the
\ncouncil, Satjipto said Indonesian culture was geared toward
\ndeliberation to reach a unanimous decision rather than voting.
\n(07)<\/p>",
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