Armando Siahaan & Anita Rachman – A court ruling that set a lower quorum requirement for the House of Representatives to launch an impeachment inquest could tip the balance of power against the ruling Democrats, lawmakers said on Thursday.
The court on Wednesday upheld a constitutional provision that required a two-thirds quorum and the support of two-thirds of those in attendance to invoke the right to express an opinion, the first step in the impeachment process.
It voided an article in a law that set the quorum at three-fourths and a minimum of three-quarters of those present to vote in favor of invoking the right to express an opinion.
Pramono Anung, a Deputy House Speaker and a member of the opposition Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), said the ruling would limit the Democrats' power to block impeachment moves.
"This will serve as new ammunition, new fuel for the coalition partners in terms of their bargaining position," Pramono said. "There will be a trade-off with the ruling power."
Legislators in favor of the court decision said it made the Democrats' hold on the majority of House seats useless. The country's biggest party has 148 of 560 House seats, or 26 percent.
Achmad Mubarok, a member of the Democratic Party's advisory board, said the court ruling would encourage "impeachment politics," where rival parties could paralyze the state by threatening to unseat the president or vice president.
"The impeachment itself might not happen, but a great deal of time would be spent on the process," he said. "The country would be held hostage by political interests, and it could lead to political transactions."
An impeachment effort, he added, could also disrupt the government's activities.
Lawmakers had previously tried to impeach Vice President Boediono, a central figure in the 2008 Bank Century scandal. He was the central bank's governor at the time of the controversial Rp 6.7 trillion ($744 million) bailout of the troubled lender.
At the time, three coalition partners – the Golkar Party, the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) and the United Development Party (PPP) – voted against the Democrats, saying the bailout was irregular.
More than 100 lawmakers signed a petition to invoke the right to express an opinion but stumbled in the face of intense opposition from the Democrats.
Achmad decried recent moves to revive the impeachment effort against Boediono following the Constitutional Court's decision to lower the quorum.
However, Golkar's Priyo Budi Santoso, another Deputy House Speaker, and Mustafa Kamal, who leads the PKS faction in the legislature, both said their parties would not use the lowered quorum requirement as a means to attack the Democratic Party.
"PKS is committed to support [President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's] government," Mustafa said. "And we are tied to a contract between the coalition and SBY."
Despite complaints from its members, Democratic Party chairman Anas Urbaningrum welcomed the court decision, saying it did not pose a threat to the government.
Instead of focusing on a political power play, he said, the state should carry out its duties.
"Politics is not just about numbers and percentages," Anas said in a text message. Politics will bring rationality, common sense and understanding. A politician's dream is to serve the people, not impeachment," the chairman added.