T

he House of Representatives is facing further turbulence following a power struggle between its commissions, for which House Speaker Ade Komarudin, a Golkar Party politician, has been blamed.

Members of House Commission VI overseeing trade, industry and investment reported Ade last Thursday to the House’s ethics council for allegedly abusing his authority as speaker.

He was blamed for giving a permit to Commission XI, which oversees finance and banking, to discuss state capital injections with representatives from state-owned enterprises (SOEs).

As SOEs are partners of Commission VI, the commission claimed Ade had violated Article 86 of the Legislative Institutions (MD3) Law on the authority of the House speaker.

According to the law, the House speaker has the authority to bridge and synergize between House commissions.

Commission VI member Bowo Sidiq Pangarso of Golkar argued that Ade did not have the authority to decide that a commission could invite partners of other commissions without prior consent.

Bowo said Ade invited nine SOE representatives on Sept. 28 to talk about state capital injections in his capacity as House speaker, without consent from Commission VI.

Ade admitted to inviting the nine SOEs but denied allegations that what he did was illegal, saying Law No. 19/2003 on SOEs and Law No. 17/2003 on state finances stipulated that state capital injections were under the Finance Ministry, which is a partner of Commission XI. Thus, it is not only Commission VI that has authority to discuss injections.

Although the SOEs were partners of Commission VI, Ade said, budget liquidation was in the hands of the finance minister, who should seek approval from Commission XI. “According to the laws, both [commissions] should handle it. Everything I do just refers to the law,” Ade said.

The problems arose amid speculation about a crisis facing Ade, as former speaker and Golkar chairman Setya Novanto is said to be looking to get his post back. Many believe the report is a way to drag Ade into deeper trouble.

Bowo, who represents Commission VI in reporting Ade, denied that the report was related to Golkar’s internal conflict, arguing that he only wanted Ade to follow the MD3 Law.

“We don’t demand Ade being unseated. At least, a reprimand [from the ethics council] will be enough so that he won’t make the same mistake [again],” Bowo said.

Indonesian Parliament Watch (Formappi) analyst Lucius Karus said it was the right move in terms of Ade’s capacity to coordinate the commissions.

“Commission VI may feel annoyed that it was not involved in the meeting, but there is no ethical violation,” Lucius said, adding that Ade and the commissions should meet to find a solution to the matter.

“If they stick to their egos, the case will affect the performance of both commissions and disrupt relations with their partners,” he added.