Assembly to have nine political groupings

Assembly to have nine political groupings

JAKARTA (JP): The newly established People's Consultative
Assembly will involve at least nine political groupings, with six
minor parties agreeing to coalesce into one faction.

Six parties which met the electoral threshold of 10 seats in
the House of Representatives confirmed on Friday they would avoid
coalitions and form their own factions.

They are the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI
Perjuangan), Golkar Party, the United Development Party (PPP),
the National Awakening Party (PKB), the National Mandate Party
(PAN) and the Crescent Star Party (PBB).

The 38 appointed representatives of the Indonesian Military
(TNI) and National Police and the 65 interest group
representatives will mingle in their respective factions.

In the past, the Assembly was composed of three factions
representing three political parties, plus the Armed Forces, as
the TNI was then known, and regional representatives factions.

Justice Party (PK) chairman Nur Machmudi Ismail said the
coalition of minor parties would consist of his party, the Muslim
Community Awakening Party (PKU), the Justice and Unity Party
(PKP), the Love the Nation Democratic Party (PDKB), the Nadhlatul
Ummat Party (PNU) and the Indonesian United Islam Party 1905
(PSII-1905).

He said the minor parties had been determined to join forces.

"We don't care too much about the name of the faction. The
most important thing is that we have all agreed to team up," he
said.

It remained unclear whether the coalition would eventually
include other minor parties in the Assembly, including the United
Party (PP), the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI), the Indonesian
Unity in Diversity Party (PBI), the Indonesian Nationalist Party
Front Marhaen (PNI-FM), the Indonesian Nationalist Party-Marhaen
(PNI-M), the Democratic Catholic Party (PKD) and the Independence
Vanguard Party (IPKI).

The Assembly will announce the lineup of factions on Saturday.

According to the House's newly ratified internal rules, a
faction must have 10 representatives to exercise its legislative
rights.

Golkar deputy chairman Agung Laksono said the 135 regional
representatives would not form a separate faction because they
were elected by provincial legislative councils. In the past,
regional representatives were appointed by their respective
provincial administrations and legislative councils.

Although they formed a faction, regional representatives, as
well as the military faction, rubber stamped the policies of the
ruling Golkar in the past.

Golkar, meanwhile, has named Marzuki Darusman to lead the
party's faction in the Assembly and Syamsul Mu'arif to head its
faction in the House.

PDI Perjuangan deputy chairman Dimyati Hartono said his party
appointed Sutjipto and Soetardjo Soerjogoeritno to lead the
party's factions in the Assembly and House, respectively.

PAN has named A.M. Luthfi and Hatta Radjasa to chair the
party's factions in the Assembly and House, respectively, while
PPP has appointed Tosari Wijaya to chair the party's faction in
the Assembly and Husni Thamrin to lead its faction in the House.

PKB secretary-general Muhaimin Iskandar said he would lead the
PKB faction in the House and Yusuf Mukron would lead the party's
faction in the Assembly.

PBB named M.S. Ka'ban to lead its faction in the new Assembly
and Ahmad Soemargono to chair its faction in the House. (rms)