Alwi's PKB stakes claim for post in the highest legislative body
Alwi's PKB stakes claim for post in the highest legislative body
Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Leaders of the Alwi Shihab-led National Awakening Party (PKB)
urged the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) on Monday to
recognize the party's claim to one of the seven deputy speaker
seats in the legislative body.
The PKB seat has been left vacant for the last eight months,
mostly due to a split in the party.
The Alwi camp's delegation, comprising Alwi himself, deputy
chairman Mahfud MD, and secretary-general Syaifullah Yusuf
conveyed their demand during a meeting with Assembly Speaker
Amien Rais at the Assembly building here.
Responding to the demand, Amien said that he would first
discuss the matter with all Assembly leaders.
Amien was accompanied only by deputy speakers Nazri Adlani and
Jusuf Amir Feisal during the meeting.
The Assembly leadership comprises one speaker and seven
deputies from various factions. The post allocated for PKB, which
finished fourth in the 1999 election, had been filled by Matori
Abdul Djalil until he was appointed minister of defense in July
last year.
Matori's successor in the Assembly was not immediately named
after he was fired by his party and set up a PKB splinter group.
President Megawati Soekarnoputri recruited Matori to her
Cabinet as a concession for his support in the ouster of PKB
founder and former president Abdurrahman Wahid.
Alwi was named PKB caretaker chairman until the party's
congress in January elected him the new boss.
Alwi's camp insisted that it deserved the Assembly deputy
speaker's post on the ground that of the 51 PKB legislators, only
five had pledged allegiance to Matori. Alwi has nominated Cholil
Bisri for the post.
"We want the Assembly leaders to recognize this," Alwi said
during the meeting.
However, article 27, paragraph 1 of the Assembly internal
rules states that if an Assembly leader cannot carry out his
duties, that leader is replaced by a member of the same faction.
This means that the replacement of the Assembly leader is in
the authority of the faction, not the party.
"Please give us time to discuss this matter. This is not a big
deal compared with the amendment process (of the Constitution),"
Amien said.