Legislator upset over recall rumors

Ainur Sophia'an, The Jakarta Post, Surabaya

East Java provincial legislative council chairman Bisjri Abdul Djalil seemed upset by rumors spreading among councillors that he would be recalled from the legislature as he was no longer considered loyal to his party.

Bisjri said he would not make any comment on the rumors because his current position as chairman was determined not by his party faction but by all factions in the legislative council.

"It's over. I won't give any more comments on the rumors because so far, I remain loyal to the National Awakening Party (PKB)," he said here on Thursday.

According to the rumors, Bisjri would be recalled from the legislative council because he was not loyal to the party's policy on the recent election of the Sampang regent and was expected to reject the candidacy of Choirul Anam, chairman of the PKB chapter in East Java, in the upcoming gubernatorial election.

Choirul, when asked to comment on the rumors, asserted that councillors representing PKB in the legislative council were obliged to listen to their constituents' political aspirations.

A reliable source within the party said that implementation of a plan to recall Bisjri was just a matter of time.

"The recent reshuffle in the party's chapter will be followed by another reshuffle of several positions in the party faction in the legislative council," he said.

Meanwhile, other factions in the legislative council ruled out the PKB's plan to recall Bisjri because, according to the law, the PKB had no authority to remove him from the council leadership.

Adrianus Harsono of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), the second largest faction in the legislative council, questioned whether there were rational reasons behind PKB's plan to recall Bisjri. He said he feared the planned recall was based on personality issues.

"PKB has the authority to annul Bisjri's membership in the PKB faction in the legislative council but his status as councillor will remain effective and his appointment as chairman of the legislative council is based not on his membership of the PKB but on his status as a member of the legislative council," he said.

To be fair, he said, the PKB should present Bisjri's apparent faults to the legislative council to allow it to consider whether they were valid reasons to replace him in accordance with the legislative council's internal rulings.

Masjkur Hasyim, chairman of the joint faction, said the PKB faction could propose Bisjri's replacement but whether the proposal was accepted or not would depend on all factions in the legislative council.

"Besides the absence of plausible reasons, the planned recall of Bisjri will face a complicated procedure," he said.