PDI-P vows to keep role as critic
Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) faction in the House of Representatives (DPR) has vowed to maintain its critical stance towards the government, saying it is ready to stand alone if other factions refuse to join it.
The PDI-P renewed its commitment after its main partner, Golkar, elected Vice President Jusuf Kalla as new party chairman at its party congress last month.
"We will continue to closely supervise government policies. We must be ready to stand alone if other factions refuse to join us," PDI-P legislator Heri Akhmadi told The Jakarta Post after a meeting of his faction on Sunday.
The two-day meeting in Cisarua, West Java, which started on Saturday, discussed the agenda of the PDI-P faction, as well as matters relating to internal consolidation of the party.
Opening the meeting, former president and PDI-P leader Megawati Soekarnoputri told the faction to keep its solidity and to keep a close eye on the government.
She urged PDI-P legislators to maintain their unity.
PDI-P faction chairman Tjahjo Kumolo, meanwhile, said his group is prepared to force decisions of the House to the vote, even though the faction has only 109 of the 550 seats in the national legislature.
The PDI-P and Golkar, in addition to the Prosperous Peace Party (PDS) and the Reform Star Party (PBR), once comprised a political grouping in the House called the Nationhood Coalition, which was initially designed to support Megawati's reelection bid.
Following her defeat to Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in the presidential election run-off on Sept. 20, the Nationhood Coalition vowed to play a role as an "opposition force" in the House by providing a "check and balance" mechanism.
Less than three months after the coalition was formed, Golkar replaced its leader, Akbar Tandjung, with Vice President Jusuf Kalla, causing the coalition to become irrelevant.
Shortly after winning the Golkar chairmanship, Kalla said that Golkar would cease support for the National Coalition. However, he vowed that his party, which holds 128 seats in the House, would remain critical of his own government's policies.
Tjahjo, on the other hand, claims that the Nationhood Coalition still exists, and that the PDI-P has kept its communications with Golkar open. "We will see the political stance of Golkar. We will maintain our independence," he was quoted by Antara as saying.
Separately, senior PDI-P legislator Sukowaluyo Mintorahardjo said his faction would continue to fight for the interests of the grassroots.
Citing an example, Sukowaluyo said the PDI-P faction rejected the increases in fertilizer prices and medical costs, as well as education fees, as people could not afford to pay.
"We will pressure other factions to help the people," he told the Post.
Sukowaluyo said he was optimistic that other factions in the House would maintain their critical stance towards government policies.