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)