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n opposition camp within the Golkar Party sought to challenge a decision made by House of Representatives Speaker Setya Novanto to remove Golkar lawmakers from strategic commissions that do not belong to the camp of current chairman Aburizal Bakrie.

The opposition camp, which is led by Agung Laksono, warned Setya, who is also a Golkar politician, against violating Law No. 17/2014 on legislative institutions (MD3 Law) as well as a House internal regulation that granted the authority to rotate lawmakers in political factions at the House.

'€œIt is wrong for him [Setya] to make the decision. It reflects his partiality and will stir more problems,'€ said Yorrys Raweyai, deputy chairman of the Agung-led camp.

Yorrys, who was a lawmaker in the 2009-2014 House term, said that lawmakers from the Agung-led faction could launch a no-confidence motion against Setya, to force him to revoke his decree and return the formation of Golkar'€™s faction to its original make-up. With his decision, Setya effectively removed 33 of Golkar'€™s 91 lawmakers from their positions in the House'€™s 11 commissions and four internal bodies.

Although rotations are considered normal within the legislative institution, the Agung camp is convinced that Setya'€™s move was aimed at removing its supporters from the House'€™s commissions and internal bodies as '€œpunishment'€ for their opposition toward the leadership of Aburizal, which currently occupies the faction'€™s office at the House.

Some lawmakers that pledged their allegiance to Agung have been removed from their leadership positions, including Meutya Viada Hafid, who was sacked from her position as deputy chief of the House'€™s Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation Committee (BKSAP), while several others were moved to '€œless strategic'€ commissions.

They include several executives from the Agung-faction, for example, secretary-general Zainuddin Amali, who was moved from Commission III overseeing law and human rights to Commission VIII overseeing social and religion affairs; and faction secretary Fayakhun Andriadi, who was moved from Commission I, which oversees defense, foreign affairs and informatics, to Commission VIII.

The fight between the two competing camps within Golkar has been dragging on since last year, when Agung and his supporters questioned the legitimacy of a national congress in Bali that later appointed then incumbent Aburizal to lead the party until 2020.

The opposition faction later held its own congress in Ancol, Jakarta, and elected Agung as the chairman, whose leadership was confirmed by Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna H. Laoly, resulting in Golkar'€™s change of support from the opposition Red-and-White Coalition to the ruling Great Indonesia Coalition. Responding to his critics, Setya said he made the decision after holding discussions with members of the House leadership and who he deemed as the legitimate leaders of Golkar'€™s faction.

'€œIt has been decided,'€ Setya said, assuring that he would deal with the possible no-confidence vote against him.