City Council plans to reduce number of factions

City Council plans to reduce number of factions

JAKARTA (JP): Regional autonomy has sparked controversy anew
as demonstrated by the debate that is now looming in the City
Council over a proposal from the major factions to reduce the
number of political groupings from the current 11.

Ajarta Sebayang of the majority Indonesian Democratic Party of
Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) faction said on Friday that the top
four political groupings in the council were united in their
desire to reduce the number of factions as a result of the
issuance of the Government Regulation No. 1/2001 on Jan. 3.

He said the issue emerged during the deliberation of
amendments to the City Council's standing orders, a process which
is still underway.

"The revision of the standing orders will have to be completed
by Tuesday and there will be a cut in the number of factions,"
Ajarta, a member of the council's special committee in charge of
the revision of the standing orders, told reporters.

Article 41 of the Government Regulation on guidelines for the
adoption of standing orders by provincial and
regency/municipality-level legislative assemblies, stipulates
that a faction should hold at least one tenth of the total seats
on the council. There are a total of 85 seats on the Jakarta City
Council.

Based on this regulation, only the PDI Perjuangan, which holds
30 seats, the United Development Party (PPP) with 13, the
National Mandate Party (PAN) with 13 and the Indonesian Military
(TNI)/National Police with nine would be entitled to form
factions.

The Golkar Party, which has eight seats, the Justice Party
(4), the National Awakening Party (3), the Crescent and Star
Party (2), and the United Party, the Justice and Unity Party and
the Indonesian Diversity Party (PBI), which have only one seat
each, would miss out.

The minor factions have expressed their opposition to the
proposal.

Ajarta insisted that the reduction was necessary in order to
comply with the Government Regulation and to help the council
work in an effective manner. He said the mandatory representation
of 11 factions in hearings and plenary sessions was a waste of
time and facilities.

"It's unfair to provide the big factions and the minuscule
factions with equal facilities," said Ajar, who is the deputy
chairman of the PDI Perjuangan's city chapter.

He said amendments to the council's standing orders, including
the simplification of council proceedings, would be decided on at
a plenary session next week.

A vote will be taken at the plenary session if the minor
factions remain steadfast in their opposition to the changes.

Ajarta said the seven minor factions would have to merge in
order to meet the quota of seats, otherwise they would lose their
rights to express opinions during plenary sessions and be
required to return the facilities they had been granted to the
administration.

Each faction is currently provided with its own offices and
facilities. A faction leader also receives an official car of a
class above those recently provided to all council members.

Undemocratic

Chairman of the Justice and Unity Party (PKP) Posman Siahaan
lashed out at the proposal to shrink the council, saying it ran
counter to democracy.

"It imposes uniformity which runs against the spirit of
reform. It's impossible for our faction which has a nationalist
and democratic platform to merge with the other religious-based
factions, for example," Posman explained.

He said the government regulation defied the spirit of
regional autonomy because its contents reflected the wishes of
the central government to intervene in the city council's
internal procedures.

The regulation, he said, also challenged Law No. 4/1999 on the
composition and functions of the People's Consultative Assembly
(MPR), the House of Representatives (DPR) and the provincial and
regency/municipality-level assemblies (DPRD).

The law allows each legislature, regardless of its level, to
form its own factions, with the number of the factions being
determined based on an agreement between the parties.

Posman said his opposition did not have anything to do with
the facilities he enjoyed as a faction chief.

"If these facilities are questioned by the large factions,
I'll comply with the promise I made at the beginning that I would
return the facilities, including the car, at any time," Posman,
who is a member of the council's Commission A for legal affairs,
said.

He was also prepared to be remunerated as a mere councilor
even though he, as the only PKP councillor, participated in all
the special committees established by the council.

"Although it would be unfair, I'm prepared to agree to give up
the allowances I am entitled to as a member of the various
committees. No problem," he said. (jun)