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)