"Just now five of us agreed to do that," Roy Suryo of the Democratic Party faction, told ANTARA News here Tuesday.
In addition to Roy Suryo, the four other legislators initiating the petition, were Teguh Juwarno (National Mandate Party - PAN - faction), Edi Prabowo (Gerindra Party faction), Budiman Sudjatmiko (PDI-Struggle faction), and Malik (National Awakening Party - PKB- faction).
"We are determined to fight (against the new building project), until we succeed," he said.
Roy said they initiated the Petition Against "New Parliament Building" because of their conscience as the representatives of the people who many of them question about the plan to build a new Parliament building.
"This is the voice of the people," Roy Surya said.
Bambang Soesatyo of the Golkar Party, on a separate occasion, said the plan to build the new Parliament should be in line with the people`s aspiration and opinions.
He reminded House Speaker Marzuki Alie not to ignore the people`s opinions concerning the planned new building.
"As the House Speaker, Marzuki should have stop the polemic by postponing or canceling the plan to build the new parliament building," he told ANTARA in Jakarta, Tuesday.
The government has obtained the estimated cost for the building of the new building at the cost of 1.16 trillion rupiahs. The plan has sparked widespread uproar considering the people`s current economic conditions.
Early this year, the Gerindra (Greater Indonesia Movement) Party faction in the House of Representatives (DPR) had rejected a plan to construct a new building for the legislature arguing it would only be a waste of public funds and hurt the people`s sense of propriety.
"Our faction in the House has firmly rejected the plan to construct a new building. We have submitted an official letter on the matter to the House leadership," said Fadli Zon, deputy chairperson of the Gerindra Party at a press conference at the DPR building in last January.
(Uu.F001/HAJM/S012)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
