PDIP to Summon Lebak Regent and Deputy Regent Following Public Spat

The Central Executive Board (DPP) of PDIP has intervened in response to the feud between Lebak Regent Hasbi Jayabaya and Deputy Regent Amir Hamzah, who clashed during the Idulfitri 1447 H halalbihalal event with civil servants (ASN) at the Lebak Regency Hall, Banten, on Monday morning (30/3). PDIP DPP Head for Government Affairs, Andreas Hugo Pareira, stated that he would invite both individuals. According to him, the case is merely a waste of time. “The DPP Government Division will invite them to meet so as not to waste time and energy on mutual jabs in public spaces, but to focus on managing the public interests of Lebak,” Andreas said when contacted on Tuesday (31/3). Lebak Deputy Regent Amir Hamzah expressed his anger after being directly criticised in front of the public regarding his corruption case during the halalbihalal event by the Regent. The tension began when Hasbi gave a speech in front of the ASN, alluding to Amir who often summons officials in the regency government to meet. According to Hasbi, this is not permitted and violates Article 66 of the ASN Law. Hasbi also took a swipe at Amir, calling him fortunate to hold the position of Deputy Regent of Lebak despite being a former convict. Amir Hamzah was previously embroiled in a bribery case related to the 2013 Lebak Regency Pilkada dispute alongside Tb Chaeri Wardhana alias TCW and former Constitutional Court Chief Justice Akil Mochtar. In that case, he was sentenced to 3 years and 5 months in prison by the panel of judges on 21 December 2015. “Don’t get it wrong, that was indeed my intonation. If not, it’s an appreciation. A former inmate becoming a high-achieving deputy regent means it’s an achievement,” Hasbi said. In response, Amir considered Hasbi’s statement as an insult. According to him, Hasbi’s remarks during the halalbihalal event in the Lebak Regency Government were unrelated to his position as deputy regent. He felt humiliated by the statement. “I felt humiliated at that moment because in public he spoke about personal matters, with no connection to work, that’s why I spontaneously wanted to warn him,” he said. Hasbi is a PDIP politician who previously served as a DPR member for two terms since the 2014 period. In the 2024 Pilkada, he was elected as Lebak Regent after winning alongside Amir Hamzah, a politician from the Democrat Party. Meanwhile, before joining the Democrats for the 2024 pilkada, Amir was a civil servant. He began his career as Acting Head of the Economy Section of the Lebak Regency Regional Secretariat in 1993, Personal Secretary to the Lebak Regent (1993-1998), and finally Head of Bappeda Lebak Regency (2006-2008). Before accompanying Hasbi Jayabaya, Amir had also won as deputy regent when accompanying Hasbi’s father, Mulyadi Jayabaya, in 2008.