Politic » 22 Agustus 2006 » Hit: 478
Parties Rebuked for Slippery Stances
Making political capital out of controversial issues like the fuel price hikes and rice import policy will backfire on political parties if their legislators do not "walk-the-talk" when the vote comes, analysts say.
Opposition parties often claim to be siding with the poor when they contest issues with the government. However, many factions' House voting records don't match their public utterances.
Analyst Ikrar Nusa Bakti of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences said medium-sized parties, especially those without clear political stances, often made abrupt about-turns on political issues when they reached the bargaining stage.
"A political stance about an issue should be sustainable to the end, but often it's used instead as a bargaining tool when the final vote nears," Ikrar said.
The government has survived two major tests at the House of Representatives recently -- winning the vote for the fuel subsidy cuts in October last year and staving off a planned opposition probe into its rice import policy last week.
After initially opposing the fuel subsidy cuts, the United Development Party (PPP), Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), National Mandate Party (PAN) and National Awakening Party (PKB), toned down their positions and switched sides when final voting took place. The same thing happened with the planned probe into rice imports, with only the PKS sticking to its guns.
Later, the PKB seized an extra ministerial post in December's Cabinet reshuffle, which some analysts see as payback for their support.
Prior to last week's voting to launch an probe into the government's rice import policy, House insiders say President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono offered to appoint PKB and PAN functionaries as his expert advisors.
The PKB is facing an internal conflict, with two rival factions seeking official recognition from the government. It and PAN, whose leader Sutrisno Bachir has been linked to a lending scam at state-owned Bank Mandiri, decided to drop their initial support of the investigation.
Meanwhile, Zannuba "Yenny" Arifah Chafsoh Wahid, daughter of PKB's chief patron and former president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid has been officially appointed as an expert advisor to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
A PAN lawmaker who still supports the probe, said Sutrisno was also made the same offer and proposed legislator Dradjad Wibowo for a similar post. An insider said Dradjad rejected the offer.
The Islamic PKS is one of the few middle-sized parties to stick to its guns and continue to back a rice probe.
PKS faction deputy chairman Zulkiflimansyah said his party's concern about irregularities in the State Logistics Agency about rice imports was key to its opposition. Any turn-around at this stage would lose the party its hard-won support, he said.
Analyst Arbi Sanit from the University of Indonesia said one of the reasons parties were easily persuaded to change their stances on issues was because they were focused on short-term gain, not long-term effects.
"Public support doesn't give parties immediate benefits. It's only real in an election. But power and positions in the administration give legislators instant perks," he said.
Monday, January 30, 2006
Tony Hotland,The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Opposition parties often claim to be siding with the poor when they contest issues with the government. However, many factions' House voting records don't match their public utterances.
Analyst Ikrar Nusa Bakti of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences said medium-sized parties, especially those without clear political stances, often made abrupt about-turns on political issues when they reached the bargaining stage.
"A political stance about an issue should be sustainable to the end, but often it's used instead as a bargaining tool when the final vote nears," Ikrar said.
The government has survived two major tests at the House of Representatives recently -- winning the vote for the fuel subsidy cuts in October last year and staving off a planned opposition probe into its rice import policy last week.
After initially opposing the fuel subsidy cuts, the United Development Party (PPP), Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), National Mandate Party (PAN) and National Awakening Party (PKB), toned down their positions and switched sides when final voting took place. The same thing happened with the planned probe into rice imports, with only the PKS sticking to its guns.
Later, the PKB seized an extra ministerial post in December's Cabinet reshuffle, which some analysts see as payback for their support.
Prior to last week's voting to launch an probe into the government's rice import policy, House insiders say President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono offered to appoint PKB and PAN functionaries as his expert advisors.
The PKB is facing an internal conflict, with two rival factions seeking official recognition from the government. It and PAN, whose leader Sutrisno Bachir has been linked to a lending scam at state-owned Bank Mandiri, decided to drop their initial support of the investigation.
Meanwhile, Zannuba "Yenny" Arifah Chafsoh Wahid, daughter of PKB's chief patron and former president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid has been officially appointed as an expert advisor to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
A PAN lawmaker who still supports the probe, said Sutrisno was also made the same offer and proposed legislator Dradjad Wibowo for a similar post. An insider said Dradjad rejected the offer.
The Islamic PKS is one of the few middle-sized parties to stick to its guns and continue to back a rice probe.
PKS faction deputy chairman Zulkiflimansyah said his party's concern about irregularities in the State Logistics Agency about rice imports was key to its opposition. Any turn-around at this stage would lose the party its hard-won support, he said.
Analyst Arbi Sanit from the University of Indonesia said one of the reasons parties were easily persuaded to change their stances on issues was because they were focused on short-term gain, not long-term effects.
"Public support doesn't give parties immediate benefits. It's only real in an election. But power and positions in the administration give legislators instant perks," he said.
Monday, January 30, 2006
Tony Hotland,The Jakarta Post, Jakarta