Astrid Susanto dismissed from PDKB

The Executive Board of the Love the Nation Democratic Party (PDKB) has fired legislator Astrid S. Susanto for joining the "rival" Indonesian National Unity Faction (FKKI) in the House of Representatives (DPR).

"It is a betrayal of the party. An executive board meeting dismissed her on Saturday," PDKB chairman Manasse Malo told The Jakarta Post.

Malo said that in connection with the dismissal the party's executive board had appointed M.C. da Lopez to replace Astrid, who represented constituents in Papua's district of Nabire.

Asked for comments about the dismissal, Astrid simply said that the executive board had no authority to dismiss a party member.

"People will laugh at them (PDKB executive board)," she said, adding that the decision had to be made at a party congress.

The incident was the result of different perceptions between Astrid and PDKB leaders concerning a revision to the House's internal regulations.

The revision, which was enacted in October last year, requires a House faction to have at least 10 members. The PDKB faction, which has only five, is obliged to find a partner with which to collaborate.

PDKB secretary-general Seto Harianto had previously said that all five members of his faction would join the 11-member KKI, but its request was rejected due, according to PDKB members, to different ideologies adopted by the two factions.

Astrid confirmed that she had submitted a written statement to the executive board of PDKB, explaining her decision to join KKI.

Citing the new House regulations, Astrid said that each legislator had the right to join any faction regardless of whether her fellow PDKB members joined her or not.

"It's about legislators, not factions," Astrid said, admitting that she had joined on Friday the meeting of her new faction, KKI. --JP