Ministers Absence In Meeting Part of Reconciliation Agreement : PDIP

Jakarta (Antara Bali) - A reconciliation agreement between the Red-and-White Coalition (KMP) and the Great Indonesia Coalition (KIH) in parliament prohibits ministers and officials from being present in the working meeting with the House of Representatives, noted Ahmad Basarah.

"The absence of ministers and officials in a meeting with the House of Representatives is a result of the reconciliation agreement reached between the KIH and the KMP," Basarah, the deputy secretary general of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) stated here on Tuesday.

According to the agreement, he noted that the commissions and agencies in the House of Representatives, except the House's committee in charge of household affairs (BURT), had not been able to summon the ministers and officials to attend a meeting with the House of Representatives.

"It is the decision of the president who has urged his ministers to not be present prior to the meetings with the House of Representatives in order to respect the reconciliation agreement between the KIH and the KMP," he affirmed.

He was of the viewpoint that the KMP should not violate the political consensus that had been earlier agreed upon. According to him, the KIH would also seek clarification from Pramono Agung regarding the implementation of the agreement.

"Based on the explanation of Pramono Anung, the KMP may be in breach of the reconciliation agreement," he emphasized.

Basarah remarked that Pramono had given assurance to KIH's political parties and leaders that the ministers would not be called before the House of Representatives' Legislative Body (Baleg) revises the articles of the Law MD3 and Rules of Procedure of the House.  

Based on Pramono's explanation, the KIH's faction in the parliament immediately submitted the names of the members of the faction to join the internal bodies.

Cabinet Secretary Andi Widjojanto had earlier sent a letter to the ranks of the Minister, Commander of the Army, the Police, Chief of Naval Staff, Chief of National Intelligence Agency (BIN), and Acting General Attorney.

The letter, numbered SE-12/Cabinet Secretary/XII/November 4, 2014, enlisted the names of the aforementioned ministers and other relevant parties to postpone the meeting with the House of Representatives.

This was done to provide an opportunity to the Parliament to consolidate itself internally. (WDY)