PDI Perjuangan may remove outspoken legislators
PDI Perjuangan may remove outspoken legislators
A'an Suryana and Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
After repeated denials, the Indonesian Democratic Party of
Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) dropped on Friday the clearest hint of
its intention to remove its nonconformist legislators from the
House of Representatives.
Taufik Kiemas, influential member of the ruling party and
husband of the President, said the possibility of kicking out
some PDI Perjuangan legislators was very real as the party was
trying to maintain internal conformity and order.
"A reshuffle could happen any time and affect anyone. Even, I
can be removed, if I haven't strictly obeyed the party's rulings
and orders," Taufik told reporters after attending the House
plenary session to hear his wife, President Megawati
Soekarnoputri, make a speech on the proposed state budget.
Megawati is also the chairperson of PDI Perjuangan.
Reports have been circulating recently that the party was
seeking the replacement of House legislators Arifin Panigoro,
Julius Usman, Meilono Suwondo and Haryanto Taslam.
Taufik claimed that such a reshuffle was legitimate and would
not be antidemocratic. "Such dismissals are necessary if they are
done to maintain the party's regulations and order," he added.
The law on composition of legislative bodies allows a party to
dismiss its representatives from the House or the People's
Consultative Assembly for crimes or "other violations". But
according to the law, none can be dropped for freely expressing
themselves even if that expression happens to run counter to an
order from the chief of the party, which is apparently what the
four free-thinking members have done.
Taufik, however, stopped short of making a clear reference to
the four legislators, who have, on occasion, been known to
exercise their right of freedom of expression to criticize
Megawati's leadership style.
"I've not heard about the exact details of who will be
dismissed," Taufik avowed.
The whole issue has come to a head after a meeting of the
party's research and development body on July 25, which was
attended by prominent figures within the party, including Arifin,
Meilono, Julius and Haryanto and Roy B.B. Janis, the chairman of
PDI Perjuangan faction at the House.
During the meeting, participants raised complaints about
Megawati's failure to consult the party's board of executives
before making crucial decisions.
The most recent example was the election of several governors,
in which Megawati turned a deaf ear to the voices of the party's
provincial chapters and handpicked her own choices that party
members were ordered to vote for. This occurred in the
gubernatorial elections in Jakarta, Lampung, East Kalimantan,
Central Java and Bali.
Arifin, who is also an oil magnate, has lashed out at the way
Megawati rejected the gubernatorial candidates that were proposed
by the party chapters in each province.
Participants at the July 25 meeting were also concerned about
the declining popularity of Megawati and the party, as revealed
by a recent poll conducted by the party's research and
development body.
If such a reshuffle indeed takes place, PDI Perjuangan would
reportedly be looking to replace Roy and Arifin as the chairman
of the party's faction at the House and the Assembly respectively
with Cahyo Kumolo, the current secretary of the party's faction
at the House, while Jakob Tobing has been touted for Arifin's
spot.
Both Cahyo and Jakob used to be Golkar legislators.
Meanwhile, Roy said after the House plenary session on Friday
that a plan to fire nonconformist legislators would be a major
setback for the party and democracy as a whole.
"If it (dismissal) really takes place, then we have well and
truly returned to the era of the New Order, when legislators who
exercised freedom of expression were pulled out, even though they
were just articulating the people's voice," he asserted.