Fear of less clout behind MPR squabble
Fear of less clout behind MPR squabble
Ridwan Max Sijabat, Staff Writer, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The shameful quarreling among lawmakers during the opening
ceremony of the Annual Session of the People's Consultative
Assembly on Thursday reflected regional representatives'
disappointment with the reluctance of major political parties to
support the long-awaited and planned revival of the regional
representative faction in the Assembly.
Some 105 of the 130 lawmakers representing provinces at the
Assembly (MPR) were also disappointed with Speaker Amien Rais who
offered three options to resolve the issue of the regional
representatives faction.
The three options -- formalizing the regional representative
faction in the opening ceremony, deliberation of the issue in
commission sessions, or permanent dissolution of the regional
representative faction -- sparked protests from regional
representatives supporting the faction's revival.
Despite the incident that tarnished the Assembly's image, the
regional representatives' deep disappointment was understandable,
when faced with the growing suspicion that the Assembly intended
breaking its promise. At the last MPR special session in June, it
was agreed that the regional representative faction would be
revived at the annual session.
The regional representatives' frustration and concern stem
from the fact that neither the Assembly nor the political parties
have ever given plausible reasons for their rejection of the
proposed revival of the regional representatives faction, while
the regional representatives had met all the legal and
administrative conditions required to revive the faction.
A number of related political interests need examination here,
and can be traced to the dissolution of the regional
representative faction in the MPR 1999 general session.
The regional representatives were aware that they may have
faced extinction after their faction was dissolved to generate
political support during the 1999 presidential election. They
were merged into political parties' factions in the Assembly.
They needed an additional faction to fight for provinces'
interests as regions were making preparations to implement
regional autonomy in January, 2001, and conflicts in Aceh, Irian
Jaya, Maluku and Kalimantan had yet to be resolved.
During the Assembly's 2000 annual session, the regional
representatives proposed to revive their faction and, following a
round of lobbying both with the MPR leadership and major
factions, the Assembly asserted its commitment to reviving the
faction.
This commitment is set out in Chapter 106 of the 2000 MPR
Decree's Chapter, which states that preparations for the
faction's revival would be completed by the end of December 2000
at the latest and that it would be formalized in the Assembly's
subsequent plenary session.
More regional representatives reiterated their proposal during
the plenary of the Assembly's special session in June this year
but the request was turned down as the issue was not included on
the agenda. The Assembly then agreed to revive the faction at
this year's annual session.
Regional representatives have reiterated the political
justification for reinstating their faction, namely, that
political parties had been granted the right to establish
factions and that it supported the proper functioning of a
bicameral parliamentary system.
They claimed the right to establish their own faction, just as
political parties' representatives had factions that they used
to fight for their own political interests.
According to the Assembly's internal rules, 10 lawmakers or
more are allowed to set up their own faction and factions have
the right to air their political views in the Assembly.
In addition, regional representatives have demanded the
Assembly comply with the 1945 Constitution, which stipulates that
the Assembly consists of the House of Representatives, societal
group representatives and regional representatives.
Both the 500-member House and the 65 societal group
representatives have their own factions. So regional
representatives are wondering why they have apparently been
prevented from reviving or establishing their own faction.
Major factions have objected to the faction's revival because,
besides having so far enjoyed the members' support for their
respective political maneuvers, political parties claim to have
elected them as provincial representatives through the provincial
legislatures.
In the case of the regional representative elections,
political parties have manipulated the 1999 law on the
composition and construction of the MPR, the House, and the
provincial and regency legislatures.
The law stipulates that regional representatives must be
elected by the provincial legislative council; but in reality the
regional representatives have been nominated by political parties
and grouped into the parties' respective factions in the
Assembly. And this was why regional representatives supported the
dissolution of their faction in the 1999 general session.
Additionally, some regional representatives are functionaries
of political parties, such as Fahmi Idris, Ginandjar
Kartasasmita, Freddy Tuamelly, who are all from the Golkar Party.
The possible revival of a regional representative faction
haunts political parties because it would certainly weaken their
political bargaining power in the Assembly, as the regional
representatives would become the third major faction.
The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan)
faction enjoys political support from 49 regional representatives
while the Golkar Party has won support from 63 regional
representatives. The two factions have 157 members and 133
members respectively in the House.
At least 105 regional representatives have supported the
proposed revival of their faction. Thirty others who remain with
PDI Perjuangan, Golkar, the United Development Party (PPP) and
the National Awakening Party (PKB) factions, have rejected the
proposed regional representative faction.