Gus Dur refuses to meet with Sjahril<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): President Abdurrahman Wahid has ruled out
\nmeeting with Bank Indonesia Governor Sjahril Sabirin until the
\nmurky legal case against him has been resolved, Attorney General
\nMarzuki Darusman said on Thursday.<\/p>\n
"The President is not available to meet with the BI governor
\nuntil the legal process is clarified," Marzuki said on the
\nsidelines of a graduation ceremony at Merdeka Palace for cadets
\nfrom the military and police academies.<\/p>\n
Marzuki added that pending a resolution of the case, Syahril
\nhad been advised by the government not to make any strategic
\ndecisions in his capacity as central bank governor.<\/p>\n
"If he makes a key decision and then problems emerge later, it
\nwill make things complicated," he said.<\/p>\n
Sjahril is a suspect in the politically charged Bank Bali
\nscandal, which centers on a Rp 546 billion payment by Bank Bali
\nto a well-connected private company to facilitate the recovery of
\nRp 904 billion in interbank loans owed to the bank.<\/p>\n
The commission was unnecessary because the loans were
\nguaranteed by the government.<\/p>\n
Marzuki said Syahril was the key to the Bank Bali scandal,
\nbecause the central bank was responsible for the disbursement of
\nthe money.<\/p>\n
Syahril, who was released last week after six months of
\ndetention and has since resumed his job, has proclaimed his
\ninnocence and accused Abdurrahman of implicating him in the Bank
\nBali case in a bid to replace him.<\/p>\n
He has charged that Abdurrahman and Marzuki asked him to
\nchoose between resignation and arrest.<\/p>\n
Marzuki said on Wednesday prosecutors would bring Sjahril's
\ncase to court next week.<\/p>\n
Sjahril has attempted to meet with Abdurrahman following his
\nrelease and return to his duties at the central bank, but the
\nPresident has so far refused the advances.<\/p>\n
House of Representatives Speaker Akbar Tandjung appealed to
\nthe President on Wednesday to meet with Sjahril.<\/p>\n
"The President should agree to meet with Sjahril or risk
\ncausing further uncertainty in the financial markets," Akbar said
\nduring a media conference following a closed-door meeting with
\nSjahril and members of the central bank's board of governors.<\/p>\n
Akbar also said he had total confidence in Sjahril's ability
\nto perform his job and make important monetary decisions. "I
\nexpect him (Sjahril) to be able to execute his job properly."<\/p>\n
"There is also no reason for the board of governors to be
\nhesitant in making important policy," he added, referring to
\nconcerns that members of the board of governors who had recently
\ntendered their resignations might be hesitant in taking crucial
\ndecisions.<\/p>\n
Akbar said until their replacements were appointed, those
\nmembers who had resigned last month would remain active.<\/p>\n
Five of the eight members of the Bank Indonesia board of
\ngovernors, including senior deputy governor Anwar Nasution,
\nresigned in response to calls from the government for a reshuffle
\nat the central bank.<\/p>\n
The President has been demanding a cleanup of Bank Indonesia
\nsince late last year, particularly the resignation of Sjahril,
\nwho was first appointed to the central bank in 1998 during the
\nadministration of former president Soeharto. He was reappointed
\nin May 1999 after a new central bank law was enacted guaranteeing
\nBank Indonesia's independence.<\/p>\n
Under this central bank law, the members of the board of
\ngovernors, including Sjahril, cannot be replaced unless they have
\nbeen proven to have committed a crime, are incapacitated or
\nvoluntarily resign.<\/p>\n
The government has proposed a bill to amend this law, thus
\nremoving the legal obstacles to the dismissal of the entire board
\nof governors.<\/p>\n
The House began to debate the bill, but the debate was
\nsuspended when the legislators went on their one-month recess.<\/p>\n
The debate is expected to be completed only after the middle
\nof January, after the House returns from recess. (byg\/rei)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/gus-dur-refuses-to-meet-with-sjahril-1447893297",
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