House heading for unremitting deadlock

Tue, 02 Nov 2004, 00:00 WIB | Source: JP

Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Polarization at the House of Representatives (DPR) worsened on
Monday with opposing camps -- the Nationhood Coalition and the
People's Coalition -- each involved in separate meetings.

The opposing camps do not recognize each other, and a full-
blown rift appears imminent, which will undoubtedly have an
adverse affect on the House's ability to carry out its tasks.

Factions grouped in the Nationhood Coalition as well as the
National Awakening Party (PKB), held commission meetings, while
factions aligned with the People's Coalition organized a meeting
to discuss the formation of "quasi commissions."

Members of the People's Coalition also issued a no-confidence
petition against House leaders, accusing them of exacerbating the
conflict by siding with the Nationhood Coalition.

All House leaders come from the Nationhood Coalition, which
consists of Golkar, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle
(PDI-P), the Prosperous Peace Party (PDS) and the Reform Star
Party (PBR). They are also supported by the PKB, giving them over
300 votes in the 550-seat House.

The People's Coalition comprises the Democratic Party (PD),
the National Mandate Party (PAN), the Prosperous Justice Party
(PKS), the United Development Party (PPP), and other small
parties grouped in the Democratic Pioneer Star (BPD) faction.

The two groupings have been at loggerheads over the election
of commission leaders and five House auxiliary bodies. The
Nationhood Coalition had insisted that the posts be put to a
vote, while the People's Coalition wants the posts to be
proportionally distributed among factions.

Putting the posts to a vote would likely ensure a sweep for
the Nationhood Coalition, while the proportional system would
allow the smaller factions, including those from the People's
Coalition, to get commission leadership posts.

Laode Ida, deputy speaker of DPD, said on Monday that the
internal conflict in the House would also affect the work of the
DPD.

"For example, we have sent a fact-finding team to riot-torn
Mamasa regency in West Sulawesi. But, we cannot discuss the
findings with the House, given the fact that they can't even sit
down together to hear our report," he said at his office.

According to Laode, there are several regional autonomy issues
that should have already been discussed by the whole House.

Unfortunately, the unfavorable conditions have halted all such
discussions, he added.

Economist-cum-politician Dradjad H. Wibowo of PAN acknowledged
that there were some economic issues that must be discussed
intensively as the issues dealt with the State Budget.

He added that the issues included the divestment of state-
owned banks, BNI and Bank Permata, as well as the imminent
increase of the fuel prices and other commodities.

In addition, the five factions from the People's Coalition
organized their own "plenary meeting" presided over by Arief
Mudatsir Mandan of PPP on Monday. However, none of the staff
members of the House secretariat showed up to assist them.

Some legislators were irked by the situation, stating that the
House secretariat must also facilitate their proceedings.

The five factions also agreed to form "quasi commissions" and
planned to select the chairmanship proportionately on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the chairman of the House's defense commission Theo
L. Sambuaga of Golkar said that the commission had started its
activities.

Theo added that his commission would next week have a hearing
with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Minister of Defense,
and the state Minister of Communication and Information.

According to Theo, they had also met Syria's Ambassador to
Indonesia Mohamad Darwish Baladi.