Feuding Coalitions in House Sign Peace Deal

Jakarta Globe, Nov 17, 2014

KIH and KMP representatives show off drafts of the peace pact signed at
the parliament on Monday. (Antara Photo/Ismar Patrizki)

Jakarta. The two rival coalitions in the House of Representatives have signed a peace pact supposedly ending the long-standing feud between them over leadership positions of commissions and legislative bodies.

The agreement between President Joko Widodo’s Awesome Indonesia Coalition (KIH) and Prabowo Subianto’s Red-White Coalition (KMP) was signed at the House of Representatives (DPR) building at 1:30 p.m on Monday, news portal vivanews.co.id has reported.

“After this signing, there will be no more KIH and KPM at the House of Representatives,” senior Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) politician Pramono Anung said, adding the DPR could hold a plenary session on Tuesday.

The minority KIH bloc was represented at the meeting by Pramono Anung and fellow PDI-P politician Olly Dondokambey, while the five-party opposition KMP was represented by the chairman of the National Mandate Party (PAN), Hatta Rajasa, and Golkar politician, Idrus Marham.

Details of the settlement are unclear, however, the signing is a major step toward overcoming the protracted split which has seen the DPR deadlocked.

The rift was prompted by the five-party opposition Red-White Coalition (KMP)’s move to control all leadership positions in the legislature, appointing its own members as House speakers as well as chairmen of all 11 House commissions.

Since the vote of no confidence, the KIH has boycotted nearly all House meetings and sessions, stopping the legislature from deliberating important issues including the planned subsidized fuel price increase, the ratification of a recently passed government regulation in lieu of law on regional elections, and choosing a replacement for the outgoing deputy chairman of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).