House heading for unremitting deadlock
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.
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