Desy Nurhayati, Jakarta – The Democratic Party (PD) faction in the House of Representatives has recommended House leadership be determined according the number of votes obtained by each political party in the general election, instead of through political bargaining among factions.
The proposal was raised following the House's plan to dismiss Zaenal Ma'arif, a deputy speaker, in the wake of a leadership struggle in Zaenal's Reform Star Party (PBR), which ended in his dismissal.
Secretary of the PD faction Sutan Bhatoegana said his party was currently in the process of drafting the proposal and was asking its members to sign off on it.
"The proposal will be complete after we collect 13 more signatures from our members," he was quoted as saying by Antara, adding 86 members had already signed.
Sutan said Zaenal's dismissal was a PBR internal issue and had nothing to do with his faction. "But after the dismissal, we recommended a reshuffle in House leadership, particularly the position of deputy speakers, to be decided on by the factions with the largest number of votes in the House," he said.
Currently, the House leadership consists of one speaker and three deputies, with Agung Laksono of Golkar Party in the speaker's seat. The two remaining deputies are Muhaimin Iskandar of the National Awakening Party (PKB) and Soetardjo Soerjogoeritno of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).
In the mechanism proposed by the PD faction, those who hold the leadership positions should come from the parties with the largest number of lawmakers, these include Golkar Party, PDI-P, PPP, PD, PKB and the National Mandate Party (PAN).
However, chairman of the PKB faction, Effendy Choirie, said this mechanism could not be applied to House leadership.
"If Zaenal Ma'arif has been discharged from his position as deputy speaker, his successor should be from the same party," he told The Jakarta Post. "Such a mechanism can only be implemented in the House commissions, but the mechanism for House leadership is different," he said.
However, he said the mechanism was likely to be changed after the next legislative election.
Zaenal's dismissal needs to be approved by the President, who will issue a presidential decree on the replacement of the deputy speaker, he said.
Secretary-general of the PBR executive board, Yusuf Lakaseng, said his party would recommend Yunisab Akbar from the party's South Sumatra provincial executive board to replace Zaenal.
Zaenal's discharge from his position as deputy speaker was recommended after he was expelled from the PBR in January.
His dismissal from the party was attributed to his decision to practice polygamy and his violations of party rules.