PPP 'star' legislator also in hot water
PPP 'star' legislator also in hot water
JAKARTA (JP): With news of the sacking of legislator Bambang Warih Koesoemo just beginning to sink in yesterday, the House of Representatives was already abuzz with rumors of another impending dismissal.
This time, the job in question is that of Sri Bintang Pamungkas, the enfant terrible of the United Development Party (PPP) faction.
Bintang (which literally means "star") was rebuked by faction leaders for acting out of line in allegedly making false accusations against Minister of Finance Mar'ie Muhammad during a hearing on Tuesday.
Bintang is known for making sharp criticisms of government policies and of the established order in general.
Yesterday, his fellow legislators greeted him when he arrived by saying, "After Bambang leaves, it'll be your turn to go."
Chairman of the PPP central executive board, Ismail Hasan Metareum, told reporters he would ask Hamzah Haz, chairman of the PPP faction in the House of Representatives, for a written account of Tuesday's incident.
During the Tuesday hearing, Mar'ie criticized a member of the press on his reporting and called on other reporters to be more careful. Bintang interrupted the minister, saying Mar'ie was acting out of line in "threatening" the press.
Mar'ie denied that he was threatening the press, but Bintang would not budge from his accusation that he had done so. Chairman of the House Commission on the State Budget, Dadi Sukardi, had to end the meeting ahead of time because of the incident.
PPP faction chairman, Hamzah Haz, said he could understand if Mar'ie was angry because Bintang's reaction had been overblown.
Bintang defended himself by lashing out at Mar'ie for his "inability to control himself" and for trying to reduce the freedom of the press.
Ismail Hasan declined to say outright that his party would dismiss Bintang, but he did not rule out such a measure. "There are laws that regulate such measures, and I won't 'erase' those laws," he said.
He said it would not be the first time Bintang had been summoned by party leaders for his conduct.
"I summoned him once before," Ismail said, referring to the time when Bintang spoke out against the socio-political role of the Armed Forces.
The party leaders then were forced to issue a statement that Bintang's remarks about ABRI were his personal view and did not reflect the party's position.
Bintang yesterday brushed off the rumors surrounding him, saying that only the people could dismiss him, because he is a representative of the people. "I have nothing to do with leaders of the party or the faction," he said. (swe)