0 House Sacks Rogue PKB Lawmakers

Despite the threat of civil and criminal lawsuits, the House of Representatives on Wednesday inaugurated two new members of the National Awakening Party, replacing a pair of maverick lawmakers who have vowed to fight their dismissals. Lily Wahid and Effendy Choirie were sacked by the party known as PKB after refusing to support its position on the controversial Rp 6.7 trillion ($690 million) bailout of Indonesia’s Bank Century in 2008. 

Contrary to the party’s stance, the pair argued in a House debate that the emergency funding package was illegal. Following their dismissal, the PKB then petitioned for the pair to be permanently ousted from the House, a move President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono approved last week. On Wednesday, the House secretary general officially replaced Lily and Effendy with Jazilul Fawaid and Andi Muawiyah Ramli. 

“I have an obligation to inaugurate [Jazilul and Andi], and although there is a motion to stop the inauguration, I can’t delay it,” House speaker Marzuki Alie said after the swearing-in ceremony. Effendy has said that he would file a civil lawsuit against Yudhoyono and Marzuki if they proceeded with the dismissal. Leader of the PKB’s faction in the House, Marwan Jafar, applauded the decision to press ahead with the pair’s dismissal despite the threat of legal action. 

Lily and Effendy “have not only been disobedient, they have both harmed the PKB with their behavior,” he said. Marwan added the party would still welcome the pair back if they apologized. But PKB secretary general Imam Nahrowi said that the likelihood of that happening was remote. “It has been a long time since Lily and Effendy talked to party officials,” he said. “They don’t feel the need to communicate with us and we have nothing to say to them.”

source : the jakarta globe