Nine West Java legislators sworn in

Yuli Tri Suwarni The Jakarta Post Bandung

West Java provincial legislative council chairman Eka Santosa has sworn in nine new council members to replace those who retired and others who had been transferred to the Banten legislature following the formation of Banten province last January.

The inauguration was conducted in the provincial legislature's plenary session here on Monday.

Seven legislators replaced those who were transferred to Banten while the remaining two succeeded two military representatives who have reached their mandatory pension age of 55.

The new legislators are: Tatang Asranul Hakim, Yusuf Ridwan, Mochamad Sufki Ma'mun and Syafrudin, all from the United Development Party (PPP); Tatang Hendir, Muhammad and Qudrat, from the Golkar Party; Rachmat Kurni of the National Mandate Party (PAN) and Army Col. Sutisna Kamadipura and Lt. Col. Hermansyah.

So far, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) and the Crescent Star Party (PBB) have yet to name their candidates to fill the nine remaining seats due to administrative problems and internal conflicts.

Eka called on the two parties to submit their candidates' names immediately to allow the legislature to complete its agenda this year.

"The deliberation of many draft laws could not be completed because of the 18 vacant seats over the last three months," he said.

The local chapter of PDI Perjuangan has been divided by a serious internal row over who should be nominated to replace its legislators.

Eka called on the existing 91 members to get ready to deliberate the province's 2002 draft budget that would be submitted by the governor to the legislative council in the near future.

Daud Gunawan, a member of the legislature's Commission B on economic affairs, said his commission had canceled a number of decisions because of the eight vacant seats.

"The commission's agenda has been disturbed following the transfer of eight commission members to Banten province and we are running short of colleagues to discuss numerous problems," Daud Gunawan said on Saturday.

Rudi Harsa Tanaya, chairman of the PDI Perjuangan faction, said his faction had lost eight seats and it had affected the faction's performance.

"Of the remaining 22 members, not all of them are active as some have been assigned to several special committees," he said.

Rudi admitted the local chapter of the PDI Perjuangan was a bit late in proposing names to fill the vacant seats following the recent death of a PDI Perjuangan legislator.