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Demoractic party swims against tide, supports PDI-P as House leader
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Lawmakers take part in a general assembly in the House of Representatives. (JP/Dhoni Setiawan)
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any House of Representatives factions have expressed opposition to the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) taking the leadership position at the House, but the Democratic Party has swum against the tide and welcomed the bid.
Democratic Party lawmaker Khatibul Umam Wiranu argued that the PDI-P deserved the position for securing the largest number of votes during the legislative election in 2014.
“For this reason, the Democratic Party endorses only one additional article in order to allow the PDI-P to be granted the chairmanship seats,” Khatibul said. “This is to restrict deliberations from having to accommodate more demands from other factions.”
The Democratic Party currently holds a deputy speaker position both at the House and the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) as part of the result of political lobbying with members of the then Red-and-White coalition that scrapped the proportional mechanism. The proportional mechanism grants leadership positions at the legislative institution to political parties according to the number of votes won in legislative elections.
Factions that have expressed opposition to granting the PDI-P a leadership seat include the Gerindra Party and the National Awakening Party (PKB), which have also demanded leadership positions at the DPR and the MPR. (evi)
