Tug-of-war ended, council starts work<\/p>\n
Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
City councillors finally ended their political maneuvers and
\ncompetition for strategic posts after the National Mandate Party
\n(PAN) faction agreed to the option offered by the Democratic
\nParty faction over the chairmanship of Commission B, which deals
\nwith economic affairs.<\/p>\n
The two factions agreed to divide the chairmanship term in
\nCommission B and C into two terms, each lasting two-and-a-half
\nyears. The Democratic Party faction will chair Commission B and
\nthe PAN faction will lead Commission C on budgeting for half the
\nterm before they exchange the posts.<\/p>\n
\"The decision is final. The factions and the council speaker
\nand deputies agreed to finish the discussion over the power-
\nsharing,\" the council deputy speaker Ahmad Heryawan of the
\nProsperous Justice Party (PKS) faction told reporters at City
\nCouncil on Friday.<\/p>\n
The tug-of-war lasted for nearly a week and put the council
\nbehind schedule as PAN had insisted upon chairing Commission B.<\/p>\n
Council's speaker Ade Surapriatna of the Golkar Party faction
\nsaid he had persuaded PAN to accept the option offered by the
\nDemocratic Party to avoid voting in the process.<\/p>\n
\"We had planned to finish the process before Monday,\" he said.<\/p>\n
With the result, PKS as the largest faction in the council,
\nwill chair Commission E on people's welfare and education and put
\nits two councillors as deputies of Commission D on development
\naffairs and secretary of Commission B.<\/p>\n
Besides chairing Commission B, the Democratic Party faction
\nalso secured the posts for deputy of Commission A on legal
\naffairs and secretary of Commission C.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) faction,
\nthe third largest in the council, will chair Commission D and
\ntake the secretary post of Commission A, while the United
\nDevelopment Party (PPP) faction will chair Commission A and get a
\nsecretary on Commission E.<\/p>\n
Golkar will only put its two members as deputies of both
\nCommission B and C.<\/p>\n
The Nationhood Party, a coalition of minor factions in the
\nJakarta council, only has the post as deputy of Commission E and
\nsecretary of Commission D.<\/p>\n
\"Hopefully, we can start working soon after finishing the
\npower-sharing process,\" Heryawan said.<\/p>\n
This month, the councillors are scheduled to start discussing
\nthe city development plan for the next five years and the 2005
\ncity budget.<\/p>",
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