Agung, Megawati should learn strategy from Akbar

Agung, Megawati should learn strategy from Akbar

Kornelius Purba, The Jakarta Post

The anger Megawati Soekarnoputri still feels toward her former
subordinate, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, combined with
the incompetence of House of Representatives Speaker Agung
Laksono in manipulating his gavel to defend the government was
arguably the main trigger of the fracas on Wednesday among House
members.

Megawati came close to fulfilling her ambition to force Susilo
-- her former key Cabinet member -- to swallow his own words that
he would stick to his decision to raise the fuel price at any
cost, by demanding an open vote to decide once and for all the
fate of the fuel hike policy. Until now, Megawati cannot forgive
Susilo, whom she branded a traitor for running in the
presidential election last year. Her husband Taufik Kiemas
described him as a childish general.

Agung, who is also Golkar Party deputy leader, easily
outmaneuvered her with the thud of his gavel, which meant there
would be no immediate vote to accept or reject the fuel hike.

Thus, the House was offered just two options: First, to vote
on whether the related House commissions were able to hold
further discussions with the government, or second, to
immediately decide on its stance on the issue.

If the second option were chosen, another vote would have to
be arranged on whether the House should accept or reject the
policy.

Legislators from Megawati's party and the second largest
faction in the House after Golkar, the Indonesian Democratic
Party of Struggle (PDI-P), jumped up on the House's podium to
protest the decision, and the gavel nearly caused Agung to be
knocked out himself.

For the PDI-P, Agung's hasty action of pounding down the gavel
to announce the two options meant Megawati had lost the perfect
chance to humiliate the President, by annulling his decision to
raise the fuel price. The National Awakening Party (PKB) and the
Prosperous Peace Party (PDS) also supported the PDI-P's stance.
Seeing the Speaker physically threatened, several Golkar
legislators came to the rescue of their comrade.

Watching the brawl on TV, people might say,"Not only South
Korean and Taiwanese legislators punch each other -- our own
legislators are no less wild than them."

The other seven parties, including the Prosperous Justice
Party (PKS) and the United Development Party (PPP) -- which are
also against the price hike -- still prefer to hand the issue
over to the House commissions, although they had previously
reached a deadlock.

Agung succeeded in carrying out the mission of his party boss,
Vice President Jusuf Kalla, to provide another opportunity for
the government to reduce resistance against the fuel increase. If
the PDI-P had succeeded in advancing its agenda, the House's
rejection of the fuel policy would have been highly possible.

The House's fatal flaw may not be legislators' immaturity but
that Agung lacks the trickery of his predecessor, Akbar Tandjung.
His action was too blatant, though still acceptable in the eyes
of the House. Unlike Akbar -- who was Golkar leader until
December last year -- Agung has no grass roots support. He became
speaker only with the support of Megawati and Akbar. While Akbar
was Golkar leader, the two parties acted as the opposition to
Susilo's government.

No doubt, Megawati knows full well that the fuel subsidy
reduction is essential, and during her three-year ruling she
introduced the same policy herself, though it was short-lived.

Not only her party, but other political parties agree with the
rationale behind the fuel price decision, but in public they
pretend that they are wholeheartedly against it, for their own
interests.

Such an embarrassing performance by the legislators is very
likely not going to be a one-off. It will happen again, every
time the President is not able to reach a compromise when dealing
with the House. It is natural for Agung to defend the
government's position, although as speaker he is in fact expected
to speak on behalf of the people. Perhaps the best option for him
would be to learn from Akbar's strategy in tense times.

Megawati, who still hopes to be reelected as party leader at
the PDI-P congress next week, also needs to learn from Akbar as
to how to vent her anger and take revenge in a more sophisticated
way.