'How can House be led by a convicted criminal?'<\/p>\n
Muhammad Nafik and Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post,
\nJakarta<\/p>\n
Legislators and observers urged convicted corrupter Akbar
\nTandjung on Thursday to resign from his post as speaker of the
\nHouse of Representatives (DPR), arguing that it was inappropriate
\nfor the respected institution to be chaired by a convicted
\ncriminal.<\/p>\n
House deputy speaker Soetardjo Soerjogoeritno of President
\nMegawati Soekarnoputri's Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle
\n(PDI Perjuangan) said that Akbar's conviction rendered him
\nineligible to chair the legislative body.<\/p>\n
PDI Perjuangan is the biggest faction in the House with 153
\nmembers.<\/p>\n
Legislator Kholil Bisri of the National Awakening Party (PKB)
\nput the absurdity of the situation that Indonesia now faces into
\nwords.<\/p>\n
\"He should step down now! It is utterly ridiculous for the
\nHouse to be chaired by a criminal,\" Kholil exclaimed.<\/p>\n
The Central Jakarta District Court declared Akbar guilty of
\ncorruption on Wednesday and sentenced him to three years in jail,
\nmaking him the highest public official to be tried and convicted
\nfor corruption. Akbar appealed the sentence.<\/p>\n
Akbar said Wednesday that he would not resign from his post as
\nHouse Speaker, pending the appeal.<\/p>\n
Akbar was found guilty of misappropriating state funds. Many
\nobservers speculate that the money was used to finance Golkar's
\n1999 election activities.<\/p>\n
Corruption is a crime that carries a prison sentence of up to
\n20 years. Prosecutors asked for four.<\/p>\n
People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) deputy speaker Sutjipto
\nof PDI Perjuangan seemed surprised that Akbar himself could not
\nsee why he should step down.<\/p>\n
\"How could he claim that he is innocent (and should stay on at
\nthe DPR) when the judges have found him guilty? The verdict has
\nbeen delivered... sounds to me like he is no longer innocent,\"
\nSutjipto said.<\/p>\n
Prominent Muslim academic Azyumardi Azra, who is also Rector
\nof the Jakarta-based Indonesian Islamic University (UIN), urged
\nAkbar to set a good example for the people by resigning from his
\npost.<\/p>\n
\"As a high-ranking official, Akbar has to set a good example
\nfor the people by relinquishing his top post in the House. It's
\npart of political ethics,\" he argued.<\/p>\n
The House, he said, needs to have integrity in every way
\nespecially from the top man. \"We should not allow our high
\nlegislative institution to be chaired by a criminal,\" he added.<\/p>\n
Slamet Rahardjo, dean of the law department at Tanjungpura
\nUniversity in West Kalimantan, called on the House speaker to
\ntake a leave and focus on the appeal.<\/p>\n
Kholil urged the House to soon set up a disciplinary council
\nto determine whether Akbar should be maintained as the speaker or
\nnot.<\/p>\n
Azyumardi shared Kholil's opinion, saying that a council would
\nput pressure on convicted legislators, including Akbar, to
\nsurrender their seats.<\/p>\n
Some legislators, however, were more reserved in calling for
\nAkbar's ouster, saying that the House's code of conduct did not
\naddress the specific issue of taking Bulog money on the pretext
\nof using it for the poor and then using it for another purpose.<\/p>\n
PKB legislator Rodjil Gufron said that based on prevailing
\nlaws and political alignments, there was virtually no legal way
\nto remove Akbar, just to hope that he felt it a moral obligation
\nto resign.<\/p>\n
\"Individually, we want to replace our convicted speaker, but
\nwe cannot find a regulation that fits his exact case.
\nFurthermore, there are some powerful political forces with a
\nvested interest in keeping Akbar as House speaker,\" he admitted.<\/p>\n
Golkar, the second biggest faction in the House with 120
\nrepresentatives, played a pivotal role in catapulting Megawati
\nSoekarnoputri into the presidency in July 2001, mostly, it was
\nsurmised because her successor, Abdurrahman 'Gus Dur' Wahid, was
\ngetting too tough on corruptors for their liking. Now Golkar and
\nPDI Perjuangan form a nearly impenetrable power base in the
\n\"rainbow coalition\".<\/p>",
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