Commotion in House

The position of Speaker of the House of Representatives, left vacant by Novanto, is now being fiercely contested by Golkar Party cadres.

Kompas/Alif Ichwan

Golkar Party candidate chairman Airlangga Hartanto (right) shakes hands with Golkar Party Honorary Council chairman and Indonesia’s third president BJ Habibie as Kosgoro chairman Agung Laksono (third from right) and Golkar Party acting chairman Idrus Marham (left) look on after the opening of the Gotong Royong Multipurpose Organization Association (Kosgoro) 1957 national work meeting  in Jakarta on Tuesday (12/12).

The position of Speaker of the House of Representatives (DPR), left vacant by Setya Novanto, is now being fiercely contested by Golkar Party cadres. Setya, who is the defendant in a graft case, has been detained by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).

At the end of his political career, Setya tried to appoint Aziz Syamsuddin as the House Speaker. However, Aziz’s appointment ended in failure after it was opposed by the party’s cadres. Setya lost power in the party after the Jakarta Corruption Court tried him and changed his status to that of defendant.