House set to probe scandals<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The House of Representatives voted
\noverwhelmingly on Monday to launch an inquiry into two scandals
\n-- Bulog-gate and Brunei-gate -- which many believe could
\nimplicate President Abdurrahman Wahid.<\/p>\n
A second motion, to launch an inquiry into the finances of the
\nState Logistics Agency (Bulog), however, was defeated.<\/p>\n
Even most of the President's own National Awakening Party
\n(PKB) faction voted for the House to exercise its right to
\ninvestigate the two scandals.<\/p>\n
Of the 356 House members who participated in the vote, 307
\nvoted for, four voted against and 45 abstained.<\/p>\n
As many as 28 PKB members voted for the motion, although their
\nleaders have said that the inquiry was being used by the
\nPresident's critics to topple him from office.<\/p>\n
The scandal at Bulog surfaced in April when it was disclosed
\nthat Rp 35 billion (US$4.2 million) of funds belonging to the
\nagency's employees foundation had been diverted, allegedly at the
\nPresident's request, to finance humanitarian programs in Aceh.
\nThe money, however, reportedly went into the pockets of people
\nclose to the President.<\/p>\n
Bulog's former deputy chairman, Sapuan, is currently standing
\ntrial on corruption charges in Jakarta for his role in the
\nscandal. Another key suspect in the affair, the President's
\nprivate masseur, Suwondo, is still at large.<\/p>\n
The President's denial of complicity in the Bulog-gate affair
\nonly led to Brunei-gate, after he disclosed that instead of using
\nBulog's funds, he had sent $2 million of money donated by Brunei
\nruler Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah for humanitarian programs in Aceh.<\/p>\n
Receipt of that money was never reported to the government in
\nthe first place. The President has since changed his story on two
\noccasions, first saying that the money was a personal donation by
\nthe Brunei ruler to him, and later that he had never received the
\nmoney and that instead it was a donation by the Sultan to a
\nnumber of local non-governmental organizations.<\/p>\n
The inquiry follows an earlier confrontation between the
\nPresident and the House over his decision to sack two of his
\neconomics ministers in April, whom he accused of corruption. When
\nthe President was summoned to testify before the House in July,
\nhe was forced to issue an apology.<\/p>\n
The proposal to launch the inquiry into the two scandals
\nfollowed a petition by 265 House members, including many from the
\nbiggest faction, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI
\nPerjuangan), chaired by Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri.<\/p>\n
The second proposal, to investigate the past and present
\nfinancial activities of Bulog, came from a petition by 12
\nlegislators from minority factions.<\/p>\n
The motion was defeated, despite an endorsement from the PDI
\nPerjuangan faction. Of the 358 who cast their votes, 162 opposed
\nthe motion, 152 supported it and 44 abstained.<\/p>\n
Deputy Speaker Soetardjo Soerjoguritno, who lead the plenary
\nsession, told reporters later that the House would set up a
\nspecial team to investigate the two cases next month.<\/p>\n
The team would be sent to visit Brunei to seek clarification,
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
\"It's up to the team whether the President is questioned or
\nnot,\" he said when asked of the prospect of summoning
\nAbdurrahman.<\/p>\n
In Padang, West Sumatra, People's Consultative Assembly
\nSpeaker Amien Rais hailed the House's vote to launch an inquiry
\ninto the two scandals as further proof of the greater power that
\nthe legislative branch enjoyed today.<\/p>\n
\"It shows that the House is no longer subordinate to the
\nwishes of the executive branch, as in the past,\" Amien told
\nAntara.<\/p>\n
Assembly Deputy Speaker Matori Abdul Djalil, meanwhile, said
\nthe decision to carry out the two investigations was being used
\nby certain political parties to bring down the President and did
\nnot reflect the aspirations of the people.<\/p>\n
PKB House members insisted they voted for the motion to show
\ntheir commitment to upholding good governance and a clean
\ngovernment and that it was with consistency that the House
\napproved the second motion.<\/p>\n
The fact that some factions only endorsed the first motion
\nindicated their real motive behind the investigation, they said.<\/p>\n
\"This is not suspicion anymore. Everybody can see that most
\nHouse members only care about their political interests rather
\nthan the people's interests,\" Matori said.<\/p>\n
He singled out the Golkar Party, accusing it of adopting a
\ndouble standard and supporting the motion to launch the
\ninvestigation of the scandals but not the second, related to the
\npast and present financial activities of Bulog.<\/p>\n
\"I think Golkar has proven that it is an obstacle to the
\nreformation movement,\" he told The Jakarta Post by phone.<\/p>\n
He suggested that Golkar would do a great service to the
\nnation if all their members turned themselves in to the Attorney
\nGeneral's Office and admitted their wrongdoings during the 32-
\nyear rule of former president Soeharto. (dja\/jun)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/house-set-to-probe-scandals-1447893297",
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