Jakarta (cidiss.co) – Indonesias political situation has been very dynamic and interesting following a plan to reinstate Setya Novanto as House Speaker, a position he had given up in December 2015 over the “Papa asks for share” case.
Golkar Secretary General Idrus Marham confirmed that the party has sent a letter to the House of Representatives (DPR) concerning its wish to reinstate Novanto, the current chairman of Golkar, as House Speaker.
Marham explained that Novanto was expected to cool down the political situation in the country, as he is capable of improving the relations between the government and the Parliament, and make the ties more productive.
With Novanto at the top, the DPR would perform better in its supervisory, legislative and budgeting functions, he said.
The Golkar Party Executive Board (DPP) in a meeting on Nov 8 decided to reinstate Novanto as House Speaker, because the party believed Novanto was not proven guilty in “Papa Asks for shares” case, where he had been accused of using the presidents name to seek shares of gold and copper mining company PT Freeport Indonesia last year.
Executive Chairman of the Golkar Executive Board Nurdin Halid said the decision was taken referring to the ruling of the Constitutional Court (MK) concerning “Papa asks for share” case and also based on the fact that the Parliament’s Ethics Council (MKD never sanctioned Novanto.
The ruling by the MK accepted the judicial review submitted by Novanto that said that a recording could not be viewed as an valid evidence.
Novanto is the general chairman of Golkar, and therefore, it is important to restore his name, Halid said.
Besides, Yorrys Raweyai, Golkar coordinator for political, legal and security affairs, said the current House Speaker, Ade Komarudin, would be replaced not because he performed poorly but because of a need to restore the dignity of the party.
Aziz Syamsuddin, Secretary of the Golkar Faction at the Parliament said that he was ready to support his party’s decision because Novanto is the general chairman of Golkar, so it is important to restore his name.
Novanto, a cadre of the Golkar party, gave up the position as House Speaker when he was facing charge of violation of ethical code in front of the Parliaments Ethics Council (MKD).
He was replaced by Ade Komarudin, another Golkar leader last year. Later, in May 2016, Novanto was elected general chairman of the Golkar party, and call for his reinstatement began.
On Nov 17, Novanto was received by President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) at the presidential palace to discuss domestic political affairs and the upcoming simultaneous regional elections (pilkada).
Several days later, on Nov 20, he held a meeting with Megawati Soekarnoputri, chairperson of the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP), for two hours to reiterate Golkars assurance of protecting and supporting the Jokowi administration.
Novanto has vowed Golkars support to the Jokowi Administration and his presidential reelection in 2019.
The support was a contrary to the stance of Golkars previous chairman, Aburizal Bakrie, who had declared Golkar as an opposition party.
However, the plan to return Novanto to the Parliaments top position was questioned by former chairman of Golkar Party, Akbar Tandjung, who said the partys executive board should not take any unilateral decision.
The move should first be discussed with senior members of Golkar in the partys Advisory Council, Expert Council and other relevant bodies, Akbar Tanjung said on Nov 23.
“Such an important decision about the appointment of the Speaker of the House, in my opinion, should not be made by the Golkar Executive Board alone, and that too without seeking advice from or listening to seniors in the partys Trustees Council, Consultative Council and Advisory Council,” he stressed.
If the move is not approved by all sides in Golkar, it could trigger a problem and a new conflict, he remarked.
Tanjung was worried that it could disrupt the unity within the party.
Besides, Golkar would need other parties support in the House of Representatives (DPR) and should offer a strong reasoning that is acceptable to other parties and the public, he commented.
In addition to being the current House Speaker, Ade Komarudin is a senior and loyal member of Golkar and his dedication to the party is unquestionable, Akbar Tanjung reminded.
A young politician of Golkar Party, Doli Kurnia, also questioned the decision to replace Komarudin with Novanto.
“We should remember that Novanto was not fired but stepped down as House Speaker. So, has Komarudin made any mistakes that he has to be replaced,” Kurnia said.
Kurnia called on the partys Advisor Board and Honorary Board to take a firm stance regarding the planned replacement.
In the meantime, Feri Amsri, a researcher with the Constitutional Study Center at the Padang-based University of Andalas, in a press conference on “Rejecting Political Move to Reinstate Setya Novanto as House Speaker” organized by the Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) on Nov 23, said that the Golkar Party was forgetting the fact that Setya Novanto had resigned as the House Speaker.
“His decision to resign was made before the MKD made a decision whether to sanction him or not. It means Setya Novanto was no longer the House Speaker because of his own decision and not due to the decision of MKD in his case,” he explained.
Therefore, the decision of MKD to restore Novanto’s name must not become an excuse to reinstate him as House Speaker, he argued.
It would be up to the politicians in the Parliament whether to accept Novantos return or not.
Deputy House Speaker Fadli Zon has hinted that the DPR leaders are ready to process reinstatement of Novanto to his former position as House Speaker.
“We will see. We will process it in line with the mechanism effective in the DPR,” Zon said recently.
ANTARA News
