House member dies during tough discussion

JAKARTA (JP): A member of the House of Representatives (DPR) collapsed and died on Thursday afternoon during the last in a series of tough sessions deliberating new laws designed to facilitate a general election in June.

Idi Siswaya, 59, a member of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) faction, is believed to have died of heart attack.

He collapsed in the Nusantara II room in the DPR complex during a heated debate of a new decree setting out civil servants' political rights, a PDI faction spokesman said.

Y.B. Wiyanjono told reporters at Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital that Idi was laid on a table in a nearby room after he collapsed. A few minutes later, he was pronounced dead by a doctor on duty in the DPR.

Idi's body was then taken to the hospital for a postmortem examination and from there to his residence in the DPR housing complex in Kalibata, South Jakarta. He will be buried in Bandung, West Java.

Wiyanjono said that Idi collapsed in the middle of a heated debate.

"I was just finishing my speech when I saw him slide down slowly from his chair," he said.

He said that Idi had worked very hard to prepare for the session.

"He might have failed to look after his health. On Wednesday, we attended a session until after midnight, and today (Thursday) he was in the office at 8 a.m. for a discussion with the other PDI members," Wiyanjono said.

Idi is survived by his wife, Djuarsih, 59, and eight children.

He was born in Majalengka, West Java, on June 15, 1939, and began his career as a site supervisor in the West Java office of the Ministry of Public Works in 1959. He entered the political arena in 1982 when he was elected onto the Cirebon legislative council, a position which he held for two terms in office.

In 1992 he was elected a West Java provincial councilor before going on to secure a seat in the House in the 1997 general election. His term in the House was due to run until 2002.

PDI chairman Budi Hardjono, who went to the hospital along with PDI Secretary-general Buttu Hutapea and party member Markus Wauran, said that Idi was known for his diligence and the accuracy of his work.

"When he received a task, he would ask for the task outline and report after he had finished it," he said.

In Bandung a large number of Idi's friends, neighbors and relatives gathered at his house to convey their condolences. (43/ivy)