H

ouse of Representatives leaders dipped deeper into the internal conflict within the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) on Monday after they decided to scrutinize the dismissal of deputy speaker Fahri Hamzah.

Instead of following the party’s recommendation to inaugurate one of its senior lawmakers, Ledia Hanifa, as a replacement for Fahri, who was kicked out for his supposed rebel streak, House leaders set up a team to investigate his dismissal.

The move possibly constituted a breach of the Legislative Institution (MD3) Law, which stipulates that the political party of a removed speaker or a deputy speaker has the right to name his or her replacement.

When former House speaker Setya Novanto resigned from his post following the corruption scandal involving mining company PT Freeport, the Golkar Party later appointed Ade Komarudin as his replacement.

House deputy speaker Fadli Zon said House leaders would not dismiss Fahri before reviewing the regulations and mechanism concerning the dismissal of a house leader.

“We will review the regulation first and then review the letter sent by [PKS chairman] Sohibul Iman. We can’t simply follow his request and dismiss Fahri. Moreover, Fahri has filed a lawsuit,” Fadli said.

The review team will consist of officials from the House’s legal team and will finish its investigation within three weeks. The team will present the results of its investigation in the form of legal opinions that the House will use to determine whether Fahri should keep his post.

“Let the team work on reviewing the letter based on the interpretation of the MD3 law. We should be careful about this matter because it determines a person’s rights,” Fadli said.

Fahri was officially dismissed by the PKS central executive board in March, after being a member since the party was established in 2002.

The party accused Fahri of causing too much damage with his controversial statements, including calling fellow members of the House “stupid”, something that the House ethics council regarded as a minor violation of the lawmakers’ code of ethics.

He was also regarded as having failed to toe the party line when he backed seven controversial construction projects that had been rejected by PKS leaders.

Considering that Fahri is no longer a PKS member, the party executive board appointed Ledia to replace him, a move that gained support from party members for empowering the female politician.

However, House leaders have seemingly not acknowledged the appointment of Ledia and have continued to stall for time to maintain Fahri, a politician known for his heavy criticism of former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono from the Democratic Party.

Fahri, who has fought the dismissal that he says is unfair, has filed a lawsuit with the South Jakarta District Court against the PKS central executive board for its decision.

Not long after, Sohibul sent a letter to House Speaker Ade Komarudin requesting Fahri’s dismissal and Ledia’s inauguration.

The party’s Majelis Syuro (religious council) chairman, Hidayat Nur Wahid, insisted that the House should not wait for the legal process nor consider further information to dismiss Fahri from his post.

“The law stipulates that the deputy speaker is appointed by the faction based on determination from the party, while the membership of the House, indeed, is in the hands of the House speaker. But those are two different cases,” Hidayat said.

He went on to say that PKS had a legal team that would also review the case and respond to the House leaders’ decision and arguments.

“I don’t understand why they had to establish a review team. Our legal team will review their arguments concerning why they haven’t removed him so that we can respond with a more objective argument,” he added.

Fahri said that he actually had his own view regarding the dismissal letter and praised the House’s decision to keep him in his position.

“Let them work on it. One thing is that I am still a part of the PKS and I hope my fellow friends in the party can understand the Constitution and that a member doesn’t fully belong to their political party,” Fahri said.
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