House factions meet to resolve conflict

House factions meet to resolve conflict

Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

After a week-long deadlock, the bickering factions in the House
of Representatives met for the first time for a consultation
meeting facilitated by House Speaker Agung Laksono on Thursday.

Agung claimed the closed-door meeting had resulted in some
agreements that would contribute to a settlement to the fierce
dispute between the factions. But he refused to disclose the
details of the agreements, saying this could interfere with the
negotiations.

"I believe there will be a complete solution in the next few
days. There is already a consensus on some fundamental issues,"
he said after the meeting.

Among the faction leaders attending the meeting were M. Hatta
of Golkar, Panda Nababan of the Indonesian Democratic Party of
Struggle (PDI-P), Erman Suparno of the National Awakening Party
(PKB), Endin AJ Soefihara of the United Development Party (PPP),
Abdillah Toha of the National Mandate Party (PAN) and Irwan
Prayitno of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS).

Agung said the faction leaders all wanted to settle the
dispute amicably.

But some faction leaders denied that they had reached
a consensus during the meeting, which they said consisted of
nothing more than preliminary discussions.

"It was only a brainstorming forum that will be followed by
other meetings. The most important thing was that we agreed to
scrap the dichotomy between the Nationhood Coalition and the
People's Coalition," Erman told The Jakarta Post.

Endin said that the meeting had done little as regards
bringing an end to the dispute.

"Our position is clear, we have to distribute the commission
chairs proportionally," he told the Post.

Earlier, the Nationhood Coalition had offered three
chairmanship and 12 deputy chairmanship posts in the House
commissions and auxiliary bodies to the rival camp.

The People's Coalition, however, demanded that the two groups
sit down together and discuss the problem comprehensively,
instead of simply discussing power-sharing.

Lawmakers have been locked in a stalemate following the
unilateral selection of leaders of 11 commissions and five
auxiliary bodies in the House. Factions affiliated to the
Nationhood Coalition -- Golkar, PDI-P, the Prosperous Peace Party
(PDS), and the Reform Star Party (PBR) -- plus the PKB, shared
the posts out among themselves after legislators grouped in the
People's Coalition boycotted the selection.

The People's Coalition, comprising the PPP, PAN, PKS, the
Democratic Party (PD) and some smaller parties grouped in the
Democratic Pioneer Star (BPD) faction, demanded the proportional
distribution of leadership posts.

With their first month's salaries already having been paid,
the lawmakers have yet to start on their legislative duties,
despite the fact that they were inaugurated on Oct. 1.

The dispute has prompted President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to
ban Cabinet ministers from attending hearings with the House. The
President said that this was necessary to give the legislators a
chance to settle their internal feud. TNI -- Page 2