Democrat Party temporarily Suspends Its Faction Chairman Parliament

Jakarta, March 30 (ANTARA) - Democrat Party`s general chairman Anas Urbaningrum has temporarily suspended the ruling party`s faction chairman in the House of Representatives (DPR) Mohammad Jafar Hafsah owing to his statement against Golkar Party`s general chairman Aburizal Bakrie. "Democrat Party executive board has corrected the statement of the party`s faction chairman in the House of Representatives (DPR) saying that Golkar Party`s general chairman had proposed a subsidized fuel oil prices hike at a certain figure that has led to political dynamics and misunderstandings," Anas told the press at the DPR building here on Thursday night. Anas at the moment was flanked by Democrat Party`s secretary general Edhie Baskoro Yudhoyono. Democrat party`s general chairman and his secretary general had corrected the statement of the party`s faction chairman in the House of Representatives (DPR), saying it was not true. In the meantime, the Democrat party`s faction chairman in the House of Representatives (DPR), Mohammad Jafar Hafsah said he had conveyed to the Democrat Party that his statement was not to interfere the coalition`s ties. Meanwhile, Golkar Party expressed its stance that it is not necessary to raise the subsidized fuel oil prices as planned by the government and expected to be effective on April 1, 2012. "Golkar party believed, it is the government`s domain to decide whether or not to raise the fuel oil prices," Golkar Party secretary general Idrus Marham, said in a press statement at the party`s headquarters, here on Thursday evening. The government is planning to raise the price of subsidized fuel oil on April 1 and has submitted two options to the House of Representatives (DPR). In the first proposal, the government seeks to raise the price of subsidized premium gasoline from Rp4,500 to Rp6,000 per liter, and diesel oil from Rp4,500 to Rp6,000 per liter. The government and the House of Representatives are scheduled to hold a meeting on Friday to decide whether the price of subsidized gasoline will be raised as of April 1.