T

he House of Representatives has demanded that President Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo immediately revoke an order prohibiting his ministers from attending meetings with lawmakers until the two coalitions in the legislature reconcile their differences.

Lawmakers, particularly those from the opposition Red-and-White Coalition, warned that the instruction, which was circulated in a letter by Cabinet Secretary Andi Widjajanto earlier this month, would only disadvantage the government as it might pose a risk to the government'€™s budget proposals presented to the House.

'€œThe President must revise the letter for the sake of the government, not the House. Understand that the House can run with the current situation but the government cannot because it will need approval from the House for its programs,'€ House Deputy Speaker Fadli Zon said on Tuesday.

Fadli, a politician from the Gerindra Party, corrected Jokowi, saying that the latter'€™s order was no longer applicable to the latest development in the House, where the majority of factions within the ruling Great Indonesia Coalition had officially submitted their lineups for each of the House'€™s 16 internal bodies, including the 11 commissions, which allowed all meetings and hearings to take place.

He further explained that the current situation in the House was unlike what Jokowi had previously mentioned in explaining his reasons for issuing the order, ensuring that, '€œall House commissions are already very solid so that they can work properly.'€

Previously, Jokowi said that the instruction for all ministers to skip meetings with lawmakers was meant to avoid confusion, as his Great Indonesia Coalition had set up its own House leadership as well as internal bodies in a move to challenge the majority Red-and-White Coalition'€™s move to occupy all leading posts at the House.

'€œIf we [the government] go to one House meeting, it will be deemed wrong. If we go to another House meeting, it will also be deemed wrong. Then what?'€ Jokowi recently said.

However, as of Tuesday, all factions within the Great Indonesia Coalition '€” the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), the National Awakening Party (PKB), the NasDem Party, the United Development Party (PPP) and the Hanura Party '€” had submitted their lineups to the House'€™s secretary-general office as both coalitions had agreed to amend the 2014 Legislative Institutions (MD3) Law and the House'€™s internal regulation to rearrange all chair positions to include the ruling coalition'€™s lawmakers.

Several lawmakers from the Great Indonesia Coalition were seen attending meetings in various commissions from Monday.

However, PDI-P lawmaker Arif Wibowo backed Jokowi'€™s instructions, stressing that meetings with lawmakers should take place only after the House'€™s Legislation Body (Baleg) completed the revision of the MD3 Law to give a guarantee.

'€œWith only two weeks left before a recess, the amendment of the [MD3] Law is the priority between the government and the House,'€ said Arif, who is also deputy chairman of PDI-P faction at the House.

'€œEverything can run normally again next year after we resume the session,'€ he added.

The current House session will end on Dec. 5 before it resumes in mid-January next year after a month'€™s recess.

Baleg has set up a working committee to deliberate the amendment of the MD3 Law, which will be presented before a plenary meeting later this week for approval.

Following the approval, the team will be able to work on the amendment together with Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Hamonangan Laoly, who is representing the government.

The discussion on the amendment will be the only House'€™s meeting attended by the government until it is finalized by Dec. 5.