HOUSE LEADERS REPORTED TO ETHICS COUNCIL

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Oct 11 (ANTARA) - The bickering between lawmakers and the House of representatives (DPR) leaders over a "cordial meeting" between the House leadership and Police chief candidate Commissioner General Timur Pradopo continued on Monday with four Commission III members on legal affairs filing a complaint to the House's Ethics Council.          On the other hand, House Deputy Speaker Pramono Anung called on the Commission III members to have dialogues and stop what he called as polemics regarding the "cordial meeting." He asked protesting legislators not to waste energy  and involve the House's Ethics Council.          The squabble began when the DPR leadership held a closed-door meeting last week with the police chief candidate before he underwent a fit-and-proper test by Commission III, an event which members of Commission III saw as deviating from the normal practice.          "The invitation of the House  leadership to the Police Chief candidate for a cordial meeting is an unusual proceeding ahead of a candidate's   fit-and-proper test," Gayus Lumbun of the Indonesian Democratic Party-Struggle (PDIP) said.          Pradopo, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's sole candidate for National Police Chief, still has to go through a fit-and-proper test to be conducted by the House's Comission III which deals with legal affairs.          Earlier, House Speaker Marzuki Alie also announced the content of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's letter on the proposed name of the police chief candidate before it was read in a House plenary.          Besides that, the House leadership also had a closed-door meeting with the Police chief candidate Commissioner General Timor Pradopo before a fit-and-proper test was conducted on him by Commission III.          However, according to House Deputy Speaker  Priyo Budi Santoso, the meeting was only a cordial one. "There was nothing special in the meeting," Priyo said.          Priyo explained that cordial meeting with Pradopo based on the agreement reached a House leadership meeting earlier.   "The House leadership at a meeting agreed to have a cordial meeting with the Police chief candidate before the fit-and-proper test is conducted," Priyo said.          Yet,  lawmakers of  Commission III have different opinions. Gayus Lumbuun and Bambang Soesatyo for example, have criticized the House leadership's cordial meeting.          Bambang Soesatyo of the Golkar Party, said House Spealer Marzuki Alie's invitation to Timur Pradopo before the latter's fit-and-proper test was an unethical act. "It can even arouse the  people's suspicion. By meeting Pradopo before he passes the fit-and-proper test, the House leadership has stolen the start," he said.          Bambang agreed with Gayus Lumbuun that the holding of the cordial meeting with a candidate for a top post in a state institution was uncommon.          Gayus in his statement called on the House leadership to always act in accordance with House rules.          "According to existing House rules, House leadership members fulfill the same functions as ordinary House members and everything they plan to do should be approved by the  other members through a House plenary meeting or at a meeting of the House's Consultative Body  (Bamus)" Gayus said.           Finally, the discontent lawmakers collected signatures to express a vote of no confidence.           In response to this, House   Speaker Marzuki Alie ridiculed the action of a group of lawmakers in issuing a "no confidence" motion against  the House leadership.          "They felt as if they (Commission III) were the most rightful so that they were not prepared to be bypassed ," Marzuki Alie said.  He said  if Commission III was of the view that the House leadership meeting with Pradopo  was against House rules, it should show the House leadership's  mistake and the House rule concerned.          "Show us the rule we have violated. They should not disturb  the House leadership's business. Is the leadership not allowed to invite Timur. Are people not allowed to meet the House leadership," he said.          He said that what the House leadership had done in inviting Pradopo for a cordial meeting was a normal thing.          "There is no problem with the meeting with Timur. The House leadership did not take over the Commission III's function," Marzuki said.          Amid calls for a dialogue to end the polemics, four members of Commission III  on behalf of 31 other colleagues who had signed a letter of no-confidence motion filed a complaint to the House's Ethics Council on House leadership's recent action in holding a closed-door meeting with Police chief candidate.          "We have just received this complaint  and we will process it to see whether it meets the requirements to be discussed further and ruled on," Nudirman Munir, a member of the House Ethics Council, said upon receiving the written complaint.          The four Commission III members who reported the House leaders were Syarifuddin Suddeng of the People's Conscience Party faction (F-Fanura), Eva Sundari of the Indonesian Democratic Party Faction (FPDIP), Bambang Soesatyo of the Golkar Party faction (FPG) and Ahmad Yani of the United Development Party faction (FPPP).          The four lawmakers represented their colleagues in the Commission III.  "The Ethics Council is the proper place to file a complaint and we will process this report based on the standing procedures," Nudirman said.          Sudding said the action taken by  the four Commission III members was intended to correct the House leadership which was suspected to have violated the House's internal rules.          He said  the 31 members of Commission III who signed the protest or the vote of no confidence only intended to straighten out  House leadership practices that violated House rules.          In response to the protest, leaders of the House of Representatives asked the Commission III members to stop polemics  and hold a dialog instead.          Deputy Speaker of the House Pramono Anung said on Monday that the House leadership would ask the Commission III members not to prolong the polemics over the meeting.  "We should now stop the polemics. We will ask our colleagues Commission III members to sit together," Pramono Anung said.          Anung asked the commission members not to sharpen the problem and not to involve the House's Ethics Council. "We should not protract the problem into an internal conflict in the House. Let's sit together and find the best way. We should not spend energy for that," Anung who is a former secretary general of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (DPIP) said.          For this, he said, the House leadership would decide a schedule for the meeting between the commission members and the House leadership.       "It is expected that all House leaders would attend the meeting so that the polemics over the meeting between the DPR leaders and the police chief candidate would be stopped," he said.***1*** (T.A014/A/HAJM/17:45/a014) 11-10-2010 17:49: