Shake-up expected of House leadership<\/p>\n
Ridwan Max Sijabat, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The House of Representatives will soon decide on whether to
\napprove a proposed reshuffle of its leadership and the
\nchairmanships of 13 House commissions, according to Speaker Agung
\nLaksono.<\/p>\n
Agung said that a House plenary session was scheduled for Nov.
\n14 to decide on any changes.<\/p>\n
"The solution to the issue will depend on the factions
\nand their own parties. If most of the factions want to revamp the
\nHouse leadership based on the principle of proportionality, then
\nLaw No. 22\/2003 on the Structure of the People's Consultative
\nAssembly, House of Representatives, and Provincial, Municipal and
\nRegental Legislatures must first be amended as it stipulates that
\nthe (current) House leadership's term of office is five years,"
\nAgung said at a press conference on Monday.<\/p>\n
If the principle of proportionality were to be applied, Agung
\nand House Deputy Speaker Soetardjo Soerjogoeritno would retain
\ntheir positions while Muhaimin Iskandar, a deputy representing
\nthe National Awakening Party (PKB), and Ma'arif, representing the
\nReform Star faction (FBR), would have to give their positions to
\nreplacements nominated by the United Development Party (PPP) and
\nDemocrat Party (PD) factions.<\/p>\n
Agung is also deputy chairman of the Golkar Party, while
\nSoetardjo hails from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle
\n(PDIP).<\/p>\n
Golkar, which is chaired by Vice President Jusuf Kalla, holds
\n128 seats in the 550-member House, while the PDI-P holds 109
\nseats. Meanwhile, the PPP and PD respectively hold 58 and 55
\nseats, which make them the third and fourth largest parties in
\nthe House.<\/p>\n
The current disproportionate composition of the House
\nleadership was the result of the leadership election held when
\nthe House was divided into two major coalitions last October: one
\njointly led by Golkar and the PDI-P, whose chief mission was to
\nhelp the PDI-P's Megawati Soekarnoputri win the run-off in the
\n2004 presidential election.<\/p>\n
But after Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono won the country's first
\ndirect presidential election, and his Vice President Jusuf
\nKalla later took the chairmanship of Golkar, the coalition broke
\napart as Kalla forced Golkar to join the Susilo-led camp.<\/p>\n
Entering the second year of the House's five-year official
\nterm, a number of major factions have questioned the
\ndisproportionate composition of the House leadership in an
\napparent attempt to fight for strategic positions for the next
\nfour years.<\/p>\n
The PDI-P and PPP factions have confirmed that they would
\nsupport the proposed shake-up in the House leadership and
\ncommission chairmanships during the plenary meeting.<\/p>\n
PDI-P faction chairman Tjahjo Kumolo said his faction would
\npropose electing one more deputy to the House speaker to allow a
\ndemocratic decision-making mechanism in the House leadership.<\/p>\n
He said that under the current structure comprising a speaker
\nand three deputy speakers, the decision-making process was
\ndifficult, particularly when House leaders wanted to vote on
\nparticular issues.<\/p>\n
The chairman of the PPP faction, Endin Sofihara, said he was
\noptimistic that most factions would support the proposed
\nleadership reshuffle in order to refresh the legislature and help
\nstrengthen it so that it could optimally perform its duties.<\/p>\n
"If most factions accept the proposed principle of
\nproportionality, the House will spend only a number of weeks
\nreviewing certain chapters of the legislation, and the leadership
\nshake-up could be carried out by the end of this month or early
\nin December," he said.<\/p>\n
In addition to deputy speakerships, the PPP and PD factions
\nalso have their eyes on a number of commission chairmanships.<\/p>",
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