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