Selection row threatens to stall House

Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Factions supporting the People's Coalition government have threatened to boycott a plenary House of Representatives session to endorse commission members scheduled on Tuesday, accusing their opposition of changing the rules in the race for commission chairmanship posts.

A failure to divide lawmakers into commissions would stall the election of commission leaders and all House activities.

The United Development Party (PPP), the Democratic Party, the National Mandate Party (PAN), the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) and the Democratic Pioneer Star (BPD) factions agreed on Monday not to submit representatives' names to the 11 House commissions unless Tuesday's plenary session was delayed to allow the criteria for the selection to be renegotiated.

"The plenary meeting tomorrow (Tuesday) must be delayed," PPP legislator Achmad Muqowwam told The Jakarta Post.

The factions, which support President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, control 232 out of the 550 House seats. If the boycott takes place, the House could not hold a plenary meeting, which requires the signatures of at least two thirds of House members.

PAN faction deputy chairman Djoko Susilo said the boycott threat was sparked by the decision of House Speaker Agung Laksono and leaders of factions affiliated to the Nationhood Coalition and the National Awakening Party (PKB) to support the election of commission leaders through a vote.

If a vote were to be held, the opposition Nationhood Coalition could, with the support of the non-aligned National Awakening Party (PKB), make a clean sweep of all commission posts. The Nationhood Coalition comprises the Golkar Party, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), the Prosperous Peace Party (PDS) and the Star Reform Party (PBR) factions.

Previously, a meeting between faction leaders had agreed parties would be represented on the 11 commissions and other auxiliary bodies based on their proportion of seats in the House.

Under the original scheme, Golkar, which controls the biggest number of House seats, would get four commission chairmanship posts and 11 deputy chairmanship posts. The PDI-P would get three chairmanship and nine deputy chairmanship posts, while the PPP, Democrats, and PAN would get two chairmanship posts each, with the PKB only one.

The PKB earlier rejected the scheme, branding the division unfair. Holding 52 seats, it demanded two commission chairmanship posts, equal to PAN which has 53 seats.

"The PKB is disappointed and rejects the scheme. Of course, the election of commission leaders should be made through a vote," Zainal Arifin of the PDI-P said.

Zainal said the leaders of the PDI-P, Golkar and PKB factions had met to discuss the possibility to support an election system.

"We may build a bloc to counter them (People's Coalition). It's normal in politics," he told the Post.

Sources said the PKB initiated the new scheme and sought support from the PDI-P and Golkar factions to sweep chairmanship posts in all the commission and auxiliary bodies.

Under the new proposal, Golkar, the PDI-P, and the PKB would get seven, six, and three chairmanship posts respectively.

The factions have already joined forces to help Agung win the post of House speaker.