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Jakarta Post

DPD embroiled in claims Oesman's election was illegal

Nurul Fitri Ramadhani (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Tue, April 4, 2017

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DPD embroiled in claims Oesman's election was illegal Tough debate: A Regional Representatives Council (DPD) member from East Java, Ahmad Nawardi (center), conveys his opinion during a plenary meeting on April 3. (Antara/Puspa Perwitasari)

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everal members of the Regional Representatives Council (DPD) opposed a decision made at Tuesday’s plenary session to elect Hanura Party politician Oesman Sapta Odang as the council’s new speaker, claiming that his election was illegal and violated the law.

 “The entire process and the results of the speakership election are unconstitutional and illegal. Thus, we’re sure that the Supreme Court won’t accept his inauguration,” DPD deputy speaker Gusti Kanjeng Ratu Hemas said on Tuesday.

“As a consequence, all legislative, administrative, protocol and budgeting matters [conducted by the DPD’s new leadership] should also be considered illegal,” she said.

(Read also: Oesman Sapta elected to lead DPD)

The DPD elected Oesman by acclamation in a meeting earlier on Tuesday, replacing his predecessor Muhammad Saleh. New deputy speakers Nono Sampono and Darmayanti Lubis were elected to replace Hemas and Farouk Muhammad.

The result came after hours of tough debate between two camps during the meeting. The first camp wanted to push for the election of new leaders while the second camp wanted the DPD to obey the Supreme Court’s ruling.

“All argument regarding the serving time of the DPD speakership should be over after the court’s ruling. We should show that this legislative institution can obey the law,” Hemas said.

She referred to a Supreme Court ruling, which annulled DPD Regulation No. 1/2016, which halves the tenure of the council’s speaker and deputy speakers from five years to two-and-a-half years, and revoked DPD Regulation No. 1/2017, which stipulates that the 2016 regulation is applicable for speakers serving during the 2014-2019 period. According to the Supreme Court ruling, the DPD should have allowed Saleh’s leadership to continue until 2019.  (ebf)

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