PKB legislators resume participation in the House

PKB legislators resume participation in the House

JAKARTA (JP): Legislators of the National Awakening Party
(PKB) resumed their participation in proceedings at the House of
Representatives (DPR) on Monday, attending the House's first
session for the 2001-2002 period.

PKB faction's newly appointed chairman Ali Masjkur Musa said
that despite the comeback of the faction, it was under no
obligation to clarify its stance on the Special Session and the
presidential succession.

PKB along with the Love the Nation Democratic Faction (F-PDKB)
faction supported the former president's decree to declare a
state of civil emergency and dissolve the legislature following
the People's Consultative Assembly's decision to bring forward
the Special Session which led to the ouster of Abdurrahman Wahid
from the presidency.

PKB's executive board also dissolved its faction in the DPR
and dismissed Matori Abdul Djalil as chairman of the party for
attending the session.

"We are present here now for our own constituents and for
other factions and the House leadership. The press should not
force us to decide whether the new government is valid or not
because it has already become a political reality," he said
without elaborating.

Ali Masjkur said his faction would promote advocacy and strive
to serve the people's interests.

"The PKB will be critical of the new government and control
its policy in efforts to uphold democracy and the supremacy of
the law and to continue reform efforts," he said.

He further explained PKB legislators could not attend the
House's plenary session to hear President Megawati
Soekarnoputri's state-of-the-nation address last Thursday because
they were in regions to inform members of the results of the
party's recent national meeting.

The national meeting appointed Ali Masjkur as the new chairman
of the PKB faction replacing Taufikurrahman Saleh, assigned nine
new deputies to the chairman and chose Amien Said Husni as the
new secretary replacing Abdul Kholiq Achmad.

The party has yet to appoint someone to fill the position of
MPR deputy speaker, which was left vacant by Matori, who has been
appointed as the minister of defense in Megawati's Cabinet.

Separately, Abdul Kholiq, a PKB member who supports Matori's
camp, called the party's national meeting and reshuffle in the
party's faction invalid, calling for an extraordinary congress to
solve internal friction in the party.

"Thirteen out of 29 regional PKB chapters still recognize
Matori's leadership in the party and have called for an
extraordinary congress to solve internal friction in the party,"
he said.

PKB legislators were greeted on Monday by their colleagues
from other factions.

Sutradara Gintings, chairman of the Indonesian Nationhood
Faction (F-KKI), called on all sides to accept the PKB faction's
political stance, saying the right to a different opinion was
supported by the Constitution.

"Despite the absence of an official statement, the PKB faction
implicitly accepts the results of the Special Session," he said.

House Deputy Speaker A.M. Fatwa and Pramono Anung Wibowo,
deputy secretary-general of the Indonesian Democratic Party of
Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) also hailed the PKB legislators'
presence. They said it was necessary for the PKB faction to
clarify its stance on the Special Session because they were part
of the House.

Like other factions, 27 of the PKB's 47 legislators held an
internal meeting to discuss their faction's work program during
the House's present term. (rms)