Bulogate not valid reason to unseat Gus Dur: Expert<\/p>\n
BANDUNG (JP): The House of Representatives lacks the legal
\nbasis to summon President Abdurrahman Wahid over the alleged Rp
\n35 billion scam at the State Logistics Agency (Bulog), not to
\nmention to seek his removal, an observer said on Sunday.<\/p>\n
Sri Sumantri, a senior constitutional law expert from
\nPadjadjaran University said after speaking at a seminar here that
\nthe House could not question Abdurrahman over the case because it
\nhad nothing to do with any presidential decree.<\/p>\n
\"It would be very easy to ask for the President's
\naccountability if he issued a decree. Due to the absence of the
\ndecree, it is Sapuan who should be held responsible,\" Sumantri
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
He was responding to a plan by the House commission III for
\nagriculture and plantations to seek the President's clarification
\nafter the main suspect in the scandal, suspended Bulog deputy
\nchief Sapuan, implicated Abdurrahman.<\/p>\n
The money stolen from Bulog was taken by people claiming to be
\nacting on Abdurrahman's behalf. The President has admitted he
\nasked about the possibility of taking Bulog money to pay for
\nprojects in troubled Aceh province, but said he never went ahead
\nwith the idea.<\/p>\n
Sumantri also said the case was not a valid reason for the
\nlegislators to ask for an extraordinary session of the People's
\nConsultative Assembly to remove Abdurrahman, because there was no
\nclear evidence of his direct involvement and, therefore,
\nviolation of any terms in the state policy guidelines (GBHN) and
\nthe Constitution.<\/p>\n
Pressure on Abdurrahman's leadership is mounting ahead of a
\nmeeting of the 700-member Assembly which will convene in August
\nto review his performance.<\/p>\n
Police have named Sapuan and Abdurrahman's masseur, Suwondo,
\nas suspects in their investigation. The latter so far has not
\nappeared for questioning and his whereabouts remains unknown.<\/p>\n
A close aide of Abdurrahman, Bondan Gunawan, resigned as
\nacting state secretary last week over the affair.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, lawyers of Suwondo's wife said in a media statement
\non Sunday that their client admitted she had received Rp 10
\nbillion from her husband and that she would return the money to
\nthe government.<\/p>\n
The lawyers also said that their client, Tety Nursetiati, is
\ndue to be questioned by the police on Monday.<\/p>\n
The lawyers added that Tety had also sent a letter to the
\nPresident to request security protection for her family as they
\nhad received threats and had been followed by unidentified people
\nsince the scandal surfaced two weeks ago.<\/p>\n
On Saturday, the National Awakening Party (PKB), which was co-
\nfounded by Abdurrahman, attacked politicians it claims are
\nexaggerating the extent of the Bulogate, saying in reality it was
\nsimple swindle that people close to the President were victims
\nof.<\/p>\n
PKB secretary-general Muhaimin Iskandar suggested that the Rp
\n35 billion (US$4 million) scandal had been politically
\nmanipulated by \"certain\" political elites to undermine the
\npresident.<\/p>\n
Muhaimin contended that the case was actually quite simple:
\nAbdurrahman's masseur Suwondo cheated the then Bulog deputy chief
\nSapuan by claiming that he was mandated by the President to
\nreceive Rp 35 billion from Sapuan.<\/p>\n
\"This is not a corruption case, this is merely a case of
\ndeceit,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Muhaimin said he first met Suwondo five years ago when the
\nlatter visited the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) office in Jakarta. At
\nthat time, according to Muhaimin, Suwondo was working for former
\npresident Soeharto.<\/p>\n
\"There is no doubt that Suwondo is Soeharto's man. I know this
\nexactly,\" claimed Muhaimin, who described Suwondo as a skilled
\nmasseur.<\/p>\n
Separately, National Economic Council member Faisal Basri
\nurged the government to comprehensively resolve the scandal
\nbecause failure to do so would worsen the country's already
\ntarnished image.<\/p>\n
Faisal, also a National Mandate Party (PAN) deputy chairman,
\nhoped the scandal would not be misused as political axe against
\nthe current government. (25\/44\/byg\/prb)<\/p>",
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