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SBY orders inquiry on walkout initiator
The head of the Democratic Partyâs central board, Amir Syamsuddin, said he had been ordered by party chairman Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to commence an inquiry into who had instructed all Democrat lawmakers to walk out during the House plenary meeting that led to the victory of those who favored indirect regional elections
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he head of the Democratic Party's central board, AmirSyamsuddin, said he had been ordered by party chairman Susilo Bambang Yudhoyonoto commence an inquiry into who had instructed all Democrat lawmakers to walk outduring the House plenary meeting that led to the victory of those who favoredindirect regional elections.
'[Yudhoyono also] instructed the central board to give the hardest punishment to the initiator. [We are] ready to carry out his order,' he said recently, as quoted by tempo.co.
Ruhut Sitompul, a Democratic Party lawmaker, previously said that his colleagues decided to walk out because of instructions from deputy chairman Max Sopacua and the party's faction leader Nurhayati Ali Assegaf.
He said that Max and Nurhayati had received a text message from Yudhoyono who instructed them to walk out because his 10 proposed points to improve on direct elections had been rejected by the House.
'What can we do if they claim to have been instructed directly by SBY?' Ruhut said, as quoted by kompas.com.
Yudhoyono had previously expressed his disappointment over the results of the plenary session, which caused the replacement of direct elections for regional heads with indirect elections.
'I am disappointed with the results of the political process at the House although I, as a democrat, respect the process. Again, I am disappointed with the results and the process,' he said in Washington DC, United States, as quoted by kompas.com.
During the session's voting procedure, the camp supporting direct elections, which consisted of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), the National Awakening Party (PKB) and the Hanura Party, had to face a bitter defeat because the number of its votes totaled 135 only, which were far fewer than the 226 votes cast by the camp supporting indirect elections, which consisted of the Golkar Party, the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), the National Mandate Party (PAN), the United Development Party (PPP) and the Gerindra Party.
The camp supporting indirect elections, which was led by losing presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto's Gerindra Party, won because members from the Democratic Party, who dominated the House, walked out.(alz/dic)
