Wahono will not rush Bambang's dismissal

Wahono will not rush Bambang's dismissal

JAKARTA (JP): Speaker of the House of Representatives Wahono
says he refuses to be rushed into making a decision about the
fate of legislator Bambang Warih Koesoemo, whom the ruling
political group, Golkar, wants removed.

"We're not talking about slaughtering a chicken here," Wahono
said on Saturday when reporters asked him about his delay in
responding to Golkar's request that Bambang be dismissed.

"The representative in question was elected through a lengthy
process," he said, adding that dismissing a representative should
be considered thoroughly.

The central executive board of Golkar presented Wahono with a
letter requesting the withdrawal of Bambang, a vocal legislator,
on Feb.3. The House speaker has the final say on whether or not
to grant the request.

Wahono pointed out on Saturday that, under the law, the
decision should be made by the leaders of the House collectively.

He said he planned to call a House leadership meeting on
Tuesday to investigate the matter before making a decision. "This
will be a consultative meeting, which I consider necessary to
ensure that the issue is treated as objectively as possible. That
means we need time to review the facts."

Golkar leaders have said Bambang was being dismissed because
he had been out of line on several occasions during the course of
his work in the House, and had often offended cabinet ministers.

Golkar's action sparked a heated constitutional debate on the
question of who legislators actually represent: the political
organization that appoints them, or the people who vote for the
political organizations.

The government says that parliamentary representatives should
be able to represent both the political organization to which
they belong and the people. (emb)