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Outspoken Fahri Hamzah won't be in House next year
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Fahri Hamzah (JP/Wienda Parwitasari)
O
utspoken Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) member Fahri Hamzah, now in charge as House of Representatives deputy speaker, will not be at the House for the next five years.
Fahri, who represents the West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) electoral district, will not contest the 2019 legislative election on account of his prolonged dispute with the party’s executives.
He said he would first focus on solving the dispute within the party.
“I won’t contest as a legislative candidate or any elected official position because the PKS doesn’t want me to. But I won’t move to [another party],” Fahri posted the statement on his official Twitter account on Monday.
The dispute between Fahri and his party began in April 2016, starting with PKS chairman Sohibul Iman dismissing Fahri from the party through a written statement. The PKS claimed Fahri often made controversial statements that contradicted the party’s stances.
Fahri refused to leave the party and, instead, filed a lawsuit against the party to challenge the dismissal and called on Sohibul to step down from the party’s top post.
Legal proceedings related to the lawsuit are still ongoing.
PKS secretary-general Mustafa Kamal confirmed on Tuesday that Fahri was not on the list of legislative candidates registered by the party with the General Elections Commission (KPU).
Fahri said he would remain in the party, although there were many other political parties that had offered him to jump ship.
“Almost all existing political parties offered me to be their legislative candidate. Some even offered me to be their chairman or secretary-general,” Fahri claimed. (evi)
