Meeting to elect council speaker under attended

Rizal Harahap ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Medan   |  Tue, 03/17/2009 3:43 PM  |  The Archipelago

A session of the North Sumatra Legislative Council held to elect a new speaker to replace Abul Aziz Angkat, who died on Feb. 3 as the result of an attack by a violent mob seeking the establishment of Tapanuli as an independent province, was forced to adjourn without reaching a decision on Monday as it failed to meet quorum.

The meeting, which was presided over by deputy speaker Hasbullah Hadi, was set to appoint one of the two candidates proposed by the Golkar Party, namely Amas Muda Siregar and Dharma Taksiyah YWR, as the new speaker.

The meeting, which began at 10 a.m., was initially attended by just 30 of its 85 members and forced to stop twice to wait for more members.

"In line with the council's regulations, a plenary session is valid only if it is attended by two thirds of the total number of the members," Hasbullah said.

Moments later, Hasbullah started the second term, but decided again to postpone the session as only 40 members were present. After being delayed until 11 a.m., the number of council members at the session rose to 54, still short of the 56 needed.

Hasbullah then took the initiative to ask other board chairmans and faction heads to invite council members to attend the session in order to meet quorum. The brief meeting managed to attract two more members - Syahrul M Pasaribu and Bustinursyah Sinulingga.

But when the two entered the session room, two others, Elbiner Silitonga and Anjar Amri, left without reason, leading to loud complaints from other attendants.

Hasbullah again met with other speakers and faction heads to discuss the problem. At 11:30 a.m. Habullah closed the session without reaching a decision.

"The plenary session cannot be held as it does not meet quorum. Based on an agreement with party heads, the council speakers decided to adjourn the meeting and entrusted the rescheduling for the new meeting to the council's negotiating committee," he said.

Moments before Hasbullah hit his gavel, Usman, a member of the National Mandate Party, asked the Council's Honorary Agency (BKD) to summon Elbiner and Anjar as they had disrupted the meeting. "BKD has to clarify it with the two councilors," Usman said.

The BKD agreed and its chairman, Kamaluddin Harahap, said the agency would ask the two councilors for clarification as to why the left the meeting when their presence was badly needed.

"Their impatience led to the delay of the session, which was crucial for the continuation of the development programs in North Sumatra, as the council's roles are closely linked with both political and administrative policies," Kamaluddin said.

Kamaluddin further said that his agency would also investigate why the other 30 council members failed to attend the session. "If they are found to have been absent for three consecutive meetings, BKD will give them sanctions," he said without giving details.

Despite the failure to choose a new council speaker, deputy secretary of the United Development Party faction Fadly Nurzal said he could understand the failure of his colleagues to attend the meeting. "Possibly they were too busy because they had to attend campaigns or were involved in other activities," he said.

Fadly denied allegations that lack of attendance was because certain parties wanted to boycott the session.

"Those who failed to attend the session represented nearly all factions at the council. Ideally the session should be conducted after the legislative election on April 9, 2009," he added.

Copyright © 2008 The Jakarta Post - PT Bina Media Tenggara. All Rights Reserved.