Akbar asked to relinquish his posts<\/p>\n
Party members call on Akbar to step down<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post
\nJakarta<\/p>\n
While presidential consent was given on Thursday for state
\nprosecutors to question House of Representatives (DPR) Speaker
\nAkbar Tandjung in connection with a graft investigation, a
\nfaction inside the Golkar Party urged him to resign from his
\nposts in the party and the House.<\/p>\n
Some members of the eastern caucus of Iramasuka, which
\nconstitutes a strong force within Golkar, expressed support for
\nthe establishment of a House special committee to prove the
\nalleged swindling of Rp 40 billion (US$4 million) from the State
\nLogistics Agency (Bulog), which reportedly involves Akbar.<\/p>\n
An executive at Golkar Party, Marwah Daud Ibrahim, said she
\nsupported the establishment of a special committee if it could
\nimprove the legal process against Akbar, who is also the chairman
\nof Golkar.<\/p>\n
\"In this scandal, the law must be enforced. If the special
\ncommittee is able to enforce the law, it must be set up. But if
\nthere is no significance, we should not pursue it,\" she said.<\/p>\n
She also said that if Akbar was proven guilty, he must be
\npunished and if Golkar is proven guilty, the organization must be
\npenalized.<\/p>\n
Golkar Advisory Board deputy chairman AA Baramuli was more
\nsupportive of the establishment of a special committee.<\/p>\n
He said the Golkar faction at the House must join others in
\nsupport of the special committee.<\/p>\n
\"It would be a setback for the party if they refused to
\nsupport the proposal to establish a special commission,\" Baramuli
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
He further said that Golkar must hold an emergency meeting to
\ndecide whether it would let Akbar maintain his chairmanship.<\/p>\n
He also suggested that Akbar resign temporarily from his
\nposition as House speaker to allow the investigation to proceed.<\/p>\n
State\/Cabinet Secretary Bambang Kesowo said President Megawati
\nSoekarnoputri signed and sent on Thursday a letter allowing the
\nAttorney General's Office to question Akbar as a witness in the
\nnew Bulog case.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the deputy attorney general for special crimes,
\nBachtiar Fachri Nasution, said his office would soon schedule a
\ntime to question Akbar as a witness.<\/p>\n
\"Soon after approval is secured from the President, we will
\nfind a time to summon him (Akbar). We, however, have yet to
\nreceive it (the approval letter).\"<\/p>\n
Akbar allegedly diverted Rp 40 billion in funds from Bulog
\ninto the party's coffers when he was state secretary during
\nformer president B.J. Habibie's tenure in 1999.<\/p>\n
Golkar deputy secretary-general Rully Chairul Azwar suspected
\nthat a political motive was behind the case to weaken the party's
\nposition ahead of the 2004 general election.<\/p>\n
Responding to the demand for Akbar to quit, Rully said the
\nreplacement of party chairman could be made only in a leadership
\nmeeting, slated for January.<\/p>\n
\"The soonest meeting will be in January in which Golkar's
\nregional chapters will evaluate Akbar's leadership,\" Rully said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation chairman Bambang
\nWidjojanto expressed his doubts that justice would be done in the
\ncase.<\/p>\n
\"We do not have a grand design to fight corruption. If the
\ncase proceeds, I don't believe there will be a resolution. We do
\nnot have a sophisticated legal system. Akbar is clever, he
\nrealizes the situation,\" Bambang told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/akbar-asked-to-relinquish-his-posts-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}