House to decide on Gus Dur's statement

House to decide on Gus Dur's statement

JAKARTA (JP): The House of Representatives (DPR) will resort
to a vote on whether to issue an opinion of discontent with
President Abdurrahman Wahid's reply to a recent interpellation
motion.

"It's very likely we will conduct a vote because those who are
disappointed with the President's reply insist on the move
despite opposition from legislators who just rubber-stamp the
government's policies. We will never agree on the matter," the
deputy secretary of the Golkar Party faction in the House, Ali
Yahya, said on Monday.

Yahya, one of the legislators who initiated the proposal, said
by issuing an opinion of discontent the House would focus
attention on the President's explanation of his decision to
dismiss state minister of investment and state enterprises
development Laksamana Sukardi and minister of trade and industry
Jusuf Kalla in March.

As a consequence, the House could then recommend the President
issue a government regulation on the requirements for the
appointment and dismissal of state officials, particularly in
cases where the officials are believed to be involved in
corruption and collusion.

"We have endorsed a law on corruption, collusion and nepotism,
but we have not yet seen a government decree," Ali said.

He said a recommendation that a government regulation be
issued on the hiring and firing of state officials would be
presented to the President during the next Annual Session of the
People's Consultative Assembly if he refused to issue a decree on
corruption, collusion and nepotism.

The proposal on issuing an opinion of discontent with the
President's reply to the interpellation motion was signed by 252
legislators, mainly from Golkar Party and the Indonesian
Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan). Those in favor of
the proposal will discuss their reasons during a plenary session
of the House on Tuesday.

According to the proposal, the President failed to give
substantial responses to the interpellation on the dismissal of
Laksamana and Kalla.

It also expresses the legislators regret over the President's
questioning of the legal basis of the interpellation motion,
which took place in July. Law No. 4/1999 clearly stipulates the
House's rights to lodge an interpellation motion, the proposal
says.

Yahya said the signatories of the proposal demanded
Abdurrahman be more accurate and careful in making policy, and
also to refrain from making controversial statements.

The plenary session on Tuesday also will discuss a proposal
that the House accept the President's response to the
interpellation motion. This proposal has the support of
Abdurrahman's National Awakening Party (PKB).

According to the House's internal rules, both proposals must
undergo a four-stage deliberation.

The deputy secretary of the PKB faction, Abdul Khaliq Ahmad,
views the dissatisfaction over Abdurrahman's response to the
interpellation motion as no longer pertinent. "After the
Assembly's Annual Session and the recent Cabinet reshuffle, the
proposals are actually no longer relevant." Monday.

He questioned the motives of certain legislators in
persistently demanding to exercise their right of opinion, saying
they might be hiding their own agendas. He also said the demand
for the House to issue an opinion of discontent or any
recommendation in response to the President's policies was
trespassing on the President's prerogatives.

"People will see whether the legislators are exercising their
rights based on the public's interest or not," Khaliq remarked.
(jun)