Embattled Sjahril still BI governor<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The House of Representatives (DPR) decided on
\nTuesday to allow Bank Indonesia Governor Sjahril Sabirin to
\nretain his job despite being named a suspect in the high profile
\nBank Bali scandal.<\/p>\n
\"We opine that Pak Sjahril Sabirin should be allowed to keep
\nhis job as the governor of Bank Indonesia,\" House Speaker Akbar
\nTandjung told a news conference following a meeting late in the
\nafternoon with Sjahril and several members of the central bank's
\nboard of governors.<\/p>\n
Akbar said the House's decision was based on Law No. 23\/1999
\non the autonomy of Bank Indonesia which stipulates that members
\nof the central bank's board of governors cannot be dismissed
\nduring their term unless proven guilty of committing a crime,
\nvoluntarily resign or are declared permanently unable to do the
\njob.<\/p>\n
\"But if the court later issues a firm ruling that Sjahril is
\nguilty, then he can be dismissed as the governor,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Akbar's afternoon comments were clearly an about-face from his
\nearlier suggestion that Sjahril should be temporarily replaced by
\nsenior deputy governor Anwar Nasution because he had been named a
\nsuspect.<\/p>\n
\"The (senior) deputy could handle Sjahrir's duties. The House
\ncould officially install him (Anwar) as Central Bank governor
\nwhen the time comes,\" said Akbar, a savvy politician and chairman
\nof the giant Golkar Party.<\/p>\n
Sjahril was named a suspect late on Monday by the Attorney
\nGeneral's Office, raising speculation that this was a political
\nploy to oust the embattled central bank governor before his four-
\nyear term ends in 2003.<\/p>\n
The rupiah fell to Rp 8,575 per U.S. dollar on Tuesday
\ncompared to Rp 8,445 on Monday.<\/p>\n
But Sjahril is fighting back. He maintains that he did nothing
\nwrong in relation to the Bank Bali scandal, and has stressed that
\nhe will not step down as Bank Indonesia governor just because of
\npolitical pressure.<\/p>\n
He claims the accusation is designed to force him out of the
\ncentral bank before his term ends.<\/p>\n
Many analysts see the case as a showdown between the central
\nbank governor and President Abdurrahman Wahid.<\/p>\n
Sjahril said that Abdurrahman \"Gus Dur\" Wahid had repeatedly
\ntold him to resign or risk being implicated in the Bank Bali
\ncase.<\/p>\n
He recalled that Gus Dur first made the demand in a meeting
\nlate last year, asking him to step down so that he could be
\nreplaced by his deputy.<\/p>\n
Sjahril declined to name the deputy, but a document issued
\nafter the news conference said that Gus Dur was referring to Bank
\nIndonesia deputy governor Dono Iskandar Djojosubroto, who is
\ncurrently on an overseas trip.<\/p>\n
The document said that the December meeting was also attended
\nby finance minister Bambang Sudibyo, Cacuk Sudarijanto (now
\nchairman of the Indonesian Bank Restructuring Agency) and
\nlegislator Hariadi Achmad.<\/p>\n
Sjahril said that Gus Dur made the same demands again in
\nFebruary and May including through Attorney General Marzuki
\nDarusman, by repeating the same threat that he either step down
\nor be named a suspect in the scandal.<\/p>\n
He said that a \"third party\" went to his office and gave him
\nuntil last Sunday to agree to the President's demand that he
\nresign.<\/p>\n
But Sjahril said that if he resigned because of political
\npressure it would mean he was also violating Law No. 23.<\/p>\n
He said he had asked Marzuki if there was an alternative.<\/p>\n
He said if he resigned due to political pressure or was named
\na suspect without any legal basis, it would affect the country's
\nmonetary stability.<\/p>\n
\"It would really be a pity if our monetary condition was
\naffected by unnecessary things,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Sjahril said he had told Marzuki that he was not planning to
\nstay at the central bank until the end of his term.<\/p>\n
\"I may step down before my term ends as long as I have more or
\nless achieved my objectives at the central bank,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Both Sjahril and Akbar declined to confirm if Gus Dur or
\nMarzuki had intervened in the central bank by asking him to
\nresign.<\/p>\n
\"I won't make any conclusion at the moment,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Separately, Attorney General Marzuki Darusman denied
\nallegations by Bank Indonesia officials that he had intervened in
\nthe central bank, saying that as an attorney general he was
\nentitled to clarify all the consequences to be faced by Sjahril
\nif he was named a suspect.<\/p>\n
\"I met him just to point out that, according to the law, the
\nBI (Bank Indonesia) governor would have to be suspended as a
\nconsequence of his legal status. So it can't be called
\nintervention or whatever,\" he told journalists after an
\ninauguration ceremony at his office.<\/p>\n
Marzuki reaffirmed that there was no political motive in
\nnaming Sjahril a suspect. He said his office's decision had a
\nstrong legal basis and had applied sufficient rationale in making
\nthe decision.<\/p>\n
\"Bank Indonesia is not above the law. If the state prosecutor
\nsuspects a crime was committed there, and there is a legal basis
\nto undergo legal measures, then we are obliged to do so, \"
\nMarzuki explained.<\/p>\n
He added that his office would start to intensify the
\ninvestigation into Sjahril's alleged involvement in the bank
\nscandal, despite the suspect's refusal to withdraw as BI
\ngovernor.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, People's Consultative Assembly's (MPR) Speaker
\nAmien Rais said the legislative body would take action if the
\ngovernment interfered with the central bank.<\/p>\n
\"The legislative would 'punch' the executive, if it interferes
\nwith the central bank,\" Amien said.<\/p>\n
But he said that if Sjahril was proven guilty, he should
\nresign.<\/p>\n
Amien feared that if Sjahril was replaced due to political
\npressure, it would affect investor confidence. (team)<\/p>",
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