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)