Jakarta – Centre for Strategic and International Studies political expert J Kristiadi said that the United Development Party (PPP) should understand with "political acrobat" played by its coalition, the Red-and-White Coalition, for having not nominated one of its politicians as speaker candidate of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR).
"The PPP has become a victim as well as an actor in the political acrobat [played by its coalition]," he said on Tuesday as quoted by kompas.com.
He explained that if the coalition led by the Gerindra Party's losing presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto decided to not nominate the PPP's politicians either as speaker for MPR or speaker for House of Representatives (DPR), because it saw that PPP previously had also played "political acrobat" that had to be anticipated by the coalition due to its potential dangers.
For example, Kristiadi said, PPP secretary-general Romahurmuziy once tried to jump ship to coalition led by the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P)'s winning presidential candidate Joko "Jokowi" Widodo.
He said that Prabowo's coalition was afraid that PPP truly jumped ship to Jokowi's coalition after the former awarded speaker's seats of MPR and DPR to the latter. "Inside PPP, there is still a group that supports Prabowo's camp and a group that supports Jokowi's," he said.
PPP executive Hasrul Azwar previously said that his party was very disappointed as its coalition did not nominate one of its members as a candidate for new speaker and deputy speakers of MPR.
He said that the party's disappointment had emerged since one of its 39 lawmakers was not nominated as new speaker and deputy speakers for DPR last week.
Hasrul said that his party had a large number of reputable politicians that deserved to become one of the MPR's speakers, such as Syaifullah Tamliha and Arwani Thomafi.
"If the coalition does not select at least one of our politicians as the speaker's candidate, we cannot accept that," Hasrul, who is also the head of PPP faction at the House, said on Monday as quoted by kompas.com.
Gerindra Party deputy chairman Fadli Zon previously said that his coalition had decided not to nominate PPP's members as the candidate of the MPR's speakers. He, however, hoped that PPP could still accept such a decision and would not jump ship to coalition led by PDI-P.
On Tuesday morning, members of the House and the Regional Representatives Council (DPD), whose members represent the different regions in the country, were scheduled to meet to elect the speaker and deputy speakers of the MPR, a bicameral assembly that comprises members of the House and the DPD. (alz)