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Taufik Kiemas elected MPR chairman
After a difficult political negotiation including a walkout from the majority of regional representatives, the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) eventually elected on Saturday Taufik Kiemas as its chairman for the 2009-2014 period
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fter a difficult political negotiation including a walkout from the majority of regional representatives, the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) eventually elected on Saturday Taufik Kiemas as its chairman for the 2009-2014 period.
The highest lawmaking institution also elected four deputies, namely Melani L. Suhardi of the Democratic Party, Haryanto Tohari of the Golkar Party, Lukman Hakim Saifuddin of the United Development Party (PPP) and Ahmad Farhan Hamid of the Regional Representatives Council (DPD).
Taufik, chief patron of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), was expected to win the chairmanship bid after his party won support from Golkar and the Democratic Party-led coalition comprising the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), the PPP, the National Awakening Party (PKB) and National Mandate Party (PAN), as well as the People's Conscience Party (Hanura) and the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra).
Prior to the election, seven out of ten factions in the House supported Taufik as chairman along with a package of four deputies.
The PKS, which previously campaigned for Hidayat Nur Wahid, did not propose any nominees but accepted the package proposal.
But the majority of the regional representatives in the DPD walked out of the meeting.
Only 25 of 132 regional representatives attended the election while most attended a meeting presided by DPD chairman Irman Gusman.
The regional representatives had proposed two seats should go to members of the DPD but this was rejected after the Constitutional Court had agreed with DPD members that they could run for MPR speaker posts and that the top post did not have to come from the House of Representatives. However the court also dropped the proviso that two MPR deputy speakers must come from the DPD.
The deputy chairman of the DPD Laode Ida had warned that regional representatives would not attend the election unless their proposal was accommodated.
"The DPD having 132 members and representing 33 provinces is deserving of two seats in the institution's leadership," he said.
After a long break, the plenary session resumed with all MPR members taking their oath of office before the chief justice and in the presence of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
The PKB accepted Taufik's victory as the new chairman but was disappointed at some of the nominations to leadership positions both at the legislative body and the MPR, which had resulted from the agreed package deal and consensus.
"This shows there is a difference between us," said Effendi Choirie, a PKB lawmaker.
The party failed to gain any leadership positions in these elections.
PKB chairman Muhaimin Iskandar concurred and said, "We received nothing in compensation from the coalition. We accept the decision wholeheartedly and for the sake of unity."
Lawmakers exchanged handshakes and hugs with Hidayat who handed over the top post at the MPR to Taufik for the next five years.
With the election of Taufik from the PDI-P, the leadership of all three lawmaking institutions includes all the major factions, leaving no major party in a purely opposition role.
It remained to be seen whether Golkar, having placed Priyo Budi Santoso in the House leadership, would join the coalition or not, pending the results of its upcoming national congress in Pekanbaru next week. (hdt)
