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Setya's new appointment draws criticism
Indonesian House Speaker Setya Novanto (center) leaves a House of Representatives ethics council hearing in Jakarta on Dec
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span class="caption">Indonesian House Speaker Setya Novanto (center) leaves a House of Representatives ethics council hearing in Jakarta on Dec. 7. Novanto, of the opposition Golkar Party, has resigned after an ethics council probe into allegations that he and a businessman used the names of President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo and Vice President Jusuf Kalla to seek a 20 percent share of PT Freeport Indonesia, a subsidiary of US-based Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc., which runs a giant gold and copper mine in Papua province. (AP/Tatan Syuflana)
The decision of the Golkar Party's central executive board to appoint outgoing House of Representatives Speaker Setya Novanto its faction chairman in the House after he was forced to resign as speaker has received strong criticism from Democratic Party lawmaker Ruhut Sitompul.
'This appears the Golkar Party is digging its own grave,' said Ruhut, who was a Golkar member from 1983 to 2004, as reported by kompas.com.
According to Ruhut, the position of faction chairman was no ordinary position and therefore Setya, who was accused of violating the House's code of ethics, did not deserve to hold the position.
He added that as faction chairman, Setya would play an important rule in the appointment of commission leaders in the House and other internal House positions, including members of the House's ethic council.
In the eyes of Ruhut, Setya was proven guilty by the recording of a conversation he reportedly had with PT Freeport Indonesia president director Maroef Sjamsoeddin, during which he allegedly used the names of President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo and Vice President Jusuf Kalla to ask for shares in the gold and copper mining firm.
The decision of Golkar to make Setya its faction chairman was made during a meeting in Jakarta on Friday chaired by Golkar Party chairman Aburizal Bakrie. (liz/bbn)
