After the Golkar Party decided to appoint Airlangga Hartarto as its new chairman, several strategic posts become the focus of attention.
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Kompas/Alif Ichwan
The opening of the Gotong Royong Multipurpose Organizations Association (Kosgoro) 1957 national work deliberation held at Menara Peninsula, Slipi, West Jakarta, Tuesday (12/12), attended by Golkar Party Honorary Council chairman and Indonesia’s third President BJ Habibie (second from left), Kosgoro chairman Agung Laksono (second from right), acting Golkar Party chairman Idrus Marham (left) and candidate Golkar Party chairman Airlangga Hartanto.
JAKARTA, KOMPAS — After the Golkar Party decided to appoint Airlangga Hartarto as its new chairman, several strategic posts, both within the party and in the House of Representatives, become the focus of attention. One position that has the potential to become an object of contestation is the House speakership, which is now vacant, after e-ID corruption case defendant Setya Novanto resigned.
Regarding the House speakership, Airlangga on Thursday (14/12) in Jakarta said it would be decided after the extraordinary national meeting (Munaslub) of Golkar Party slated for Dec. 19, 2017. He assured Golkar would have submitted a name for the House speakership before it started the next sitting session on Jan. 9, 2018.
Golkar Party deputy secretary-general Ace Hasan Syadzily said aside from inaugurating Airlangga as party chairman, the Munaslub would also discuss other things, namely the party’s official support for President Joko Widodo in his bid for reelection in 2019. Although the House speakership post will only be decided after the Munaslub, several names have been mentioned as possible candidates for the post. They are, among others, Golkar Party faction secretary Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita, House Budgetary Committee chairman Aziz Syamsuddin and House Commission III chairman Bambang Soesatyo.
“I hear those names have intention and potential to be House speaker. It will depend on the decision of Pak Airlangga and the new executive board,” said Golkar Party Experts Council deputy chairman Mahyudin yesterday in Jakarta.
Previously, Novanto appointed Aziz Syamsuddin to replace him as House speaker. Novanto’s move was made through a letter dated Dec. 9, 2017 with the support of Golkar Party Advisory Council head Aburizal Bakrie. However, Novanto’s move met with opposition from some Golkar politicians in the House. Mahyudin said Aziz had the chance to become House speaker. “Considering Airlangga has taken over the party chairmanship, it will be good if Aziz takes the House speaker and Idrus Marham becomes a minister, for example, to prevent conflict,” he said.
Acting House speaker from Gerindra Party, Fadli Zon said, he heard Golkar would pick Bambang. “Yet, the decision is in the hand of Golkar Party,” Fadli said.
Other names surfacing are Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita. Agus, who will be the organizing committee for the Munaslub, had an important role in the House Deliberation Body on Monday. At that time, Agus, who represented Golkar faction leaders demanded the House not to inaugurate Aziz as House speaker and give Golkar Party time to follow the internal mechanism in selecting House speaker nominee.
Separately, Aziz said he would let Airlangga as party chairman to decide on the House speaker.
Meanwhile, Bambang denied he had been lobbying Golkar politicians and House members to make him House speaker. “I just go with the flow. I never fight for a position,” he said. But, if there is an assignment from the party, he will not reject it.
Void
South Jakarta District Court sole justice Kusno yesterday declared Novanto’s pretrial motion void. The pretrial motion was Novanto’s second attempt to challenge the Corruption Eradication Commission’s decision of naming him a suspect in the e-ID graft case.
The justice declared the motion invalid because the case had been processed at the Jakarta Corruption Court.
“If we refer to Article 82 Verse 1 Point D in the Criminal Law Procedure Code [KUHAP], the pretrial is not over while in fact the substance of the case has been processed. So, the pretrial should have been invalid. Herewith, I declare the pretrial motion by the plaintiff void,” Kusno said.
Despite the void of the pretrial motion, Kusno continued to explain his consideration. Kusno said the investigation by KPK is lawful. Thus, its declaration of Novanto’s suspect status for the second time is also legal. Novanto’s pretrial motion has entered the substance of the case.
KPK chairman Agus Raharjo appreciated justice Kusno’s ruling. “Justice Kusno deserves appreciation for he consistently enforces the law,” he said.
