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Rival coalitions in House agree to reconcile: Setya
Jakarta Globe - November 5, 2014
House Speaker Setya Novanto said the leaders of all 10 factions in the legislature have met and stated their commitment to resolving the protracted split.
"If possible [all factions] will continue to communicate and sit together. [House speakers] will accommodate [the needs of all factions]. No problem," he said on Tuesday.
President Joko Widodo's five-party minority Awesome Indonesia Coalition (KIH), which control 246 of the 560 seats in the House, filed a motion of no confidence last week against the House leaders and even went as far as naming rival speakers of its own.
The split was prompted by the five-party opposition Red-White Coalition (KMP)'s move to control all leadership positions in the legislature, appointing its own members as House speakers as well as chairmen of all 11 House commissions.
Since the vote of no confidence, the KIH has boycotted nearly all House meetings and sessions, stopping the legislature from deliberating important issues including the planned subsidized fuel price increase, the ratification of a recently passed government regulation in lieu of law on regional elections, and choosing a replacement for the outgoing deputy chairman of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).
Power sharing
However, the sentiment of reconciliation is not shared among individual lawmakers on the ground, with some KMP members refusing to share power with the KIH.
Meanwhile some inside the KIH are also not backing down from the minority coalition's demand for the House to repeat the appointment process for the entire commission chairmanship posts.
The 246 seats "inside the KIH must also be taken into consideration," said Sirmadji of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) – the biggest party in both the KIH and the House.
"Don't discard [the House minority] for the sake of power. We hope the KMP realizes that as representatives of the people, no [faction] should be left unrepresented [in the leadership posts]."
Sirmadji accused the KMP of rigging the appointment process inside the House by deliberately creating a deadlock and pushing for a vote instead of finding a middle group and reaching a consensus that accommodates both sides.
"Why do they need to seize control of all leadership posts? Why does the KMP always push for a vote?" he asked. Sirmadji also rejected the appointed commission leaders saying they were named in a plenary, which failed to reach a quorum following a KIH boycott.
The House said on Tuesday it was mulling an additional three commissions. But KMP member, the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra), said the addition should only be made to better execute its oversight power and not to accommodate the KIH.
"For the commissions to work more efficiently, I agree. For example state-owned enterprises should be overseen by a dedicated commission. The addition must not be made to accommodate the other group," Gerindra lawmaker Edhy Prabowo said referring to the KIH.
Supiadin A.S. a lawmaker from the National Democratic Party (Nasdem) – a KIH member – said increasing the number of commissions to 14 "is not a solution" to the deadlock. "The proper solution is for all House members to again sit down together and repeat the whole commission leadership appointment process," he said.
Supiadin said control over existing commissions should be divided according to parliamentary seats to create equal opportunities for both KMP and KIH parties. "This is why since Oct. 29 we no longer acknowledged the House speakers because they are not accommodative. They left the KIH behind," he said.
Middle ground
Meanwhile, Tjatur Sapto Edy, chairman of the KMP's National Mandate Party (PAN) faction, said leaders of both camps have met. He added that "there have been an agreement."
Tjatur hinted that there "might be additional posts in the leadership of each House commission. Within the next week or two, we will continue to [communicate with the KIH] intensively."
Tjatur's remarks echoed that of Ruhut Sitompul of the Democratic Party, a KMP member. "Right now each commission has three deputy chairs. All we have to do is add one more and give that spot to [the KIH]," Ruhut said.
The KMP must be gracious to allow the KIH to take some control over the House leadership posts, he continued "so the House can move forward." "It is no longer a source of pride to be a House member. People are laughing about what happens [in the House]," he said.
Fauziah Amro, a lawmaker from the KIH's People's Conscience Party (Hanura), said his faction would likely accept the House speaker's proposal to add deputy chairs to each of the 11 working commissions and five special committees.
"We are just asking for one of our representative in each commission and committee, be it a chair or deputy chair. We're asking the KMP to share just 16 seats," she said.
"We are pushing for a change [in the structure]. They could add the number of deputy chairmen [in each commission] from three to four. We understand that those already appointed will not likely step down."
But other KIH members disagree, saying that there was a possibility that the KMP might take control of the new posts as well, arguing that repeating the entire appointment process was the only way to go.
Selfish needs
Political observer Nico Harjanto, of the Populi Center think-tank, said the recent split showed some fundamental flaws inside the Law on Legislative Bodies, or MD3 law.
The old law provided the biggest parties in the House the opportunity to name a House speaker and four deputies – a provision eliminated by the new law.
Instead the new law mandates parties to form coalitions to name two sets of candidates. The system, in effect, allows one camp to control all speaker, deputy speaker and commission chairmanship posts. The system, Nico said, makes the House leadership become partisan.
"House leaders should be able to accommodate everyone, down to the smallest [party]," he said. "In [Indonesia's] democracy we don't recognize tyranny of the majority."
The KIH has urged President Joko to issue a government regulation in lieu of law, annulling the new Legislative Bodies Law. But Nico said this would only aggravate the infighting.
"The people who need to intervene are political party leaders so they can sit down together and make sure that the reconciliation process happens down to the lowest level," he said. Party leaders "must convince their lawmakers to put the people's interest over political ambitions for control."
Ray Rangkuti, director of the Indonesian Civil Circle (LIMA), said the KIH should stop worrying about sharing power with the KMP inside the House, arguing that its members already have seats inside Joko's cabinet.
"Joko has been meeting [KMP] party leaders to calm the heated political rift. The KIH's vote of no confidence, let alone naming its own House speakers, fueled further tensions," he said.
North Sumatra University political observer Wara Sinuhaji said fears that the KMP is trying to overthrow Joko or block his programs are exaggerations. "Joko... was elected by the people. So the people will be on the frontline in case the KMP blocks Joko's programs in the House," he said.
Sinuhaji also pointed out that the KMP might not remain united forever, highlighting that several KMP parties are mulling switching sides. "Nothing is impossible in politics. A party's loyalty can change at any time," he said.
Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/rival-coalitions-house-agree-reconcile-setya/.
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