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Blocked by Supreme Court, DPD meets to decide on plan to elect new speaker
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Health Minister Nila Djuwita F.Moeloek (left) receives input on improving health care services in North Sulawesi from a member of the Regional Representatives Council (DPD) from North Sulawesi, Stefanus BAN Liow, during a meeting in Jakarta. (JP/Lita Aruperes)
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fter a recent ruling that revoked its right to select a new leader, the Regional Representatives Council (DPD) held a meeting on Sunday to decide whether it should drop a plan to hold an election for a new speaker on April 3.
DPD secretariat staff member Ikhwan Situmeang said the councilors were likely to proceed with the speaker's election, despite the Supreme Court recently annulling two DPD regulations that limited the tenure of the DPD leadership.
“I think the election will go on. We need to see the result of today’s meeting, I guess it will be a heavy debate inside,” Ikhwan said.
The court ruling last week favored six councilors who challenged DPD Regulation No. 1/2016, which reduced the tenure period of the DPD speaker and two deputy speakers from five years to two-and-a-half years, and DPD Regulation No. 1/2017, which stipulated that the new regulation was valid for the DPD speakership board in the current 2014-2019 period.
Former DPD speaker Irman Gusman was dismissed and jailed in a bribery case last year, and a new speaker, Mohammad Saleh, was appointed to carry on the rest of his tenure. Irman's supporters later filed their challenge with the court.
The court ruling leaves the speakership election unlawful, because it holds that the current speaker will serve only until 2019.
Ikhwan said that the meeting also talked about how the DPD would respond to the court ruling. (wit)
