PKB finally accepts Megawati's government<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The National Awakening Party (PKB), a staunch
\nsupporter of former president Abdurrahman Wahid, finally decided
\nto acknowledge the new government under President Megawati
\nSoekarnoputri in its two-day meeting that ended early Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Arifin Junaidi, secretary of the party's advisory council,
\nsaid the decision was taken at a plenary session which was
\nattended by about 60 clerics of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), the largest
\nMuslim organization supporting the party.<\/p>\n
He said both the participants of the meeting and the clerics
\nconsidered the recent presidential succession the law of God
\n(sunnatullah), which was viewed as a motivation to achieve a
\nbetter future.<\/p>\n
Arifin explained that in its political recommendations, PKB
\ncalled on the political elite to practice good ethics in
\npolitics.<\/p>\n
PKB previously claimed the hastened Special Session, which led
\nto the ousting of Abdurrahman from the presidency, was
\nunconstitutional. It also strongly supported the issuance by the
\nformer president of a presidential decree declaring a state of
\ncivil emergency and dissolving both the House of Representatives
\nand the Golkar Party.<\/p>\n
Muhaimin Iskandar, secretary-general of PKB, said his party's
\nlegislators would come back to the House of Representatives (DPR)
\nand attend the House plenary session on Thursday to hear
\nMegawati's state-of-the-nation address in conjunction with the
\ncommemoration of Independence Day on Aug. 17.<\/p>\n
He said his party would not give any clarification to the
\nHouse with regard to its support for the former president's
\ndecree on the dissolution of the House.<\/p>\n
Ali Masjkur Musa, who in the meeting was appointed the new
\nchairman of the PKB faction to replace Taufikurrahman Saleh,
\nconcurred and said there was no obligation for his party to
\nprovide such a clarification.<\/p>\n
"What's the use of clarification? DPR is our house and we have
\nour own key to come in. So clarification is not necessary," he
\nsaid as quoted by Antara.<\/p>\n
Amien Rais, Speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly,
\nalso insisted recently that PKB provide clarification first (over
\ntheir support for the dissolution of the House) before reviving
\nits faction in the legislature.<\/p>\n
House Speaker Akbar Tandjung said the House had invited PKB to
\nexplain the plan to revive the PKB faction, but no response was
\nmade.<\/p>\n
He confirmed that Ali Masjkur met him at the House building on
\nWednesday afternoon, but said nothing about the PKB faction.<\/p>\n
According to Akbar, PKB is not required to give clarification,
\nbut the party should confirm its faction's revival and its
\nlegislators' presence at Thursday's plenary meeting to avoid any
\npossible interruptions from other factions.<\/p>\n
"We don't want the plenary session to degenerate into chaos in
\nthe presence of our President who is slated to deliver her state-
\nof-the-nation address," he said. (rms)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/pkb-finally-accepts-megawatis-government-1447893297",
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