House cancels meeting with Health Minister

Today’s meeting between the House of Representatives Commission IX on health and the Health Minister Endang Sedyaningsih has been canceled by House Speaker Marzuki Alie of the Democratic Party.

"There was no official letter. The House secretariat contacted me at 11 p.m. last night, telling me that, based on the speaker’s instructions, the meeting had to be canceled with no clear time frame [for a rescheduled time]," Commission IX chairwoman Ribka Tjiptaning told reporters in Jakarta on Wednesday.

Ribka said she found the sudden cancellation was odd, because the speaker had previously given his approval.

"The sudden intervention is strange and gives the impression of arrogance on the part of the majority party," she said.

Separately, Deputy Speaker Priyo Budi Santoso of the Golkar Party said the cancellation was because the House's consultative agency has yet to establish an official schedule for House commissions' meetings.

"Once the agency's meeting finishes, commissions can have meetings whenever they want," he said.(hdt)