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Jakarta Post

City Council divided over right of opinion

Deal makers: Jakarta Deputy Governor Djarot Saiful Hidayat (from left to right), Home Minister Tjahjo Kumolo, Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama and deputy finance minister Mardiasmo greet each other during the opening of Jakarta’s egional Development Planning Conference (Musrenbang) at City Hall on Tuesday

Dewanti A. Wardhani and Ina Parlina (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Wed, April 15, 2015

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City Council divided over right of opinion

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span class="inline inline-center">Deal makers: Jakarta Deputy Governor Djarot Saiful Hidayat (from left to right), Home Minister Tjahjo Kumolo, Jakarta Governor Basuki '€œAhok'€ Tjahaja Purnama and deputy finance minister Mardiasmo greet each other during the opening of Jakarta'€™s egional Development Planning Conference (Musrenbang) at City Hall on Tuesday. Ahok pledged transparency during the Musrenbang. The forum serves as a foundation to arrange the 2016 city budget and programs. JP/Awo

Following a unanimous vote to exercise its right of inquiry into Governor Basuki '€œAhok'€ Tjahaja Purnama, the City Council is now at odds on whether to exercise its right of opinion to follow up the result of its investigation.

The councilors last week held a plenary session to announce that after a month-long investigation conducted by the right of inquiry investigation team, Ahok had been shown to be guilty of a negative attitude and a number of violations pertaining to the deliberation of the 2015 city budget.

However, on Tuesday, after a meeting at the State Palace with Ahok and President Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo, City Council Speaker Prasetio Edi Marsudi expressed his willingness to reconcile instead of exercising the right of opinion.

'€œMy goal is to get Jakarta running well, free of conflict. Rest assured, the [Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle] PDI-P has no intention of impeaching [Ahok],'€ claimed Prasetio, a member of the(PDI-P.

Similarly, the leader of the council'€™s National Awakening Party (PKB) faction, Hasbiallah Ilyas, said that his faction would not exercise its right of opinion.

'€œIt is unnecessary and irrelevant because the 2015 city budget has already been approved by the Home Ministry,'€ Hasbiallah said over the phone on Tuesday.

He went on to say that the investigation into Ahok'€™s so-called negative attitude was a further irrelevance.

'€œLet me ask you something: are we -- the councilors -- saints, who can criticize Ahok for his attitude? I don'€™t think so,'€ he said.

NasDem faction chairman Bestari Barus voiced a similar opinion, saying that his faction had also decided to refuse to exercise its right of opinion.

Meanwhile, the Gerindra Party faction, the United Development Party (PPP) faction and the Democratic Party faction continue to insist that it is necessary to exercise their right of opinion. Deputy Council Speaker Mohamad Taufik of the Gerindra Party has even hinted at a future attempt to impeach Ahok.

Deputy Council Speaker Abraham '€œLulung'€ Lunggana of the PPP asserted that his faction would support the use of the right of opinion.

'€œWe will support it till the end. If there is only one party left supporting the use of the right of opinion, it will be the PPP,'€ Lulung said.

Meanwhile, Golkar Party faction chairman Zainuddin said that the party was weighing its options.

Similarly, the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) has yet to decide its stance. Faction chairman Selamat Nurdin said that the party was in no hurry to make a decision.

'€œWe cannot play tough just as a public stunt. We will analyze the current political situation first,'€ he said.

According to Law 23/2014 on regional governments, in order to exercise a right of opinion, at least 20 councilors from two factions must approve and sign a petition. That would lead either to the council reprimanding the governor for his mistakes, or impeachment, which can only take effect after a trial at the Supreme Court.

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