Lawmakers smell fishy deal behind mining regulation<\/p>\n
Fitri Wulandari, Jakarta<\/p>\n
A group of legislators suspect that some of their colleagues
\nhave been bribed into approving the governmental regulation in
\nlieu of law which allows open pit mining in protected forest
\nareas.<\/p>\n
Bambang Setyo, a member of the Anticorruption Caucus, said the
\nindication of bribery was the fact that major parties had voted
\nto pass regulation in lieu of law No. 1\/2004 into law during the
\nHouse of Representatives' plenary session on July 15.<\/p>\n
In contrast, during the last meeting of the special committee
\nto deliberate the bill prior to the plenary session, only the
\nlargest faction in the House, the Indonesian Democratic Party for
\nStruggle (PDI Perjuangan), supported the bill.<\/p>\n
The rest of the factions, including Golkar, the second largest
\nfaction, either rejected the bill or were undecided.<\/p>\n
\"The Caucus smells something fishy. There has been a dramatic
\nchange that prompted three major factions of the House to endorse
\nthe bill during a vote,\" Bambang said in a media briefing on
\nFriday.<\/p>\n
Aside from PDI Perjuangan and Golkar, the United Development
\nParty (PPP), the third largest faction also voted in favor of the
\nbill.<\/p>\n
The caucus was set up in April 2004 as a voluntary drive by
\nlawmakers to fight corruption and collusion in the legislature.
\nBambang claimed the caucus has 30 members of various factions in
\nthe House, whom he refused to identify.<\/p>\n
A few days before the plenary session, lawmakers had talked
\nabout \"money being offered\" for those who agreed to the bill,
\nBambang said.<\/p>\n
\"My colleagues said they were offered between Rp 50 million
\n(about US$5,500) to Rp 150 million,\" Bambang, who is from
\nCrescent Star faction, said, adding that he got a similar offer
\nfrom a fellow lawmaker.<\/p>\n
Last week, the House passed regulation in lieu of law No.
\n1\/2004 into law after 131 lawmakers out of 232 in the plenary
\nsession voted for the controversial bill.<\/p>\n
The bill is the same in principle as Forestry Law No. 41\/1999
\nexcept for an additional clause stipulating that mining companies
\nwho have signed contracts prior to the enactment of the Forestry
\nLaw may resume their open-pit mining activities. The 1999
\nForestry Law bans open-pit mining operations in protected
\nforests.<\/p>\n
The government issued Presidential Decree No. 41\/2004 to allow
\n13 mining companies resume their operations as an implementation
\nof the law.<\/p>\n
Herman Widyananda, the head of the special committee for the
\ndeliberation of the bill, dismissed the bribery allegation.<\/p>\n
\"I am not aware of the rumors. There was no bribery,\" Herman
\nof Golkar told The Jakarta Post on Friday.<\/p>\n
While acknowledging most factions were undecided until the
\nplenary session, Herman said it was not unusual for factions to
\nchange their stance in the plenary session.<\/p>\n
Herman claimed Golkar's support for the bill was mainly to
\navoid potential arbitration proceedings that would be initiated
\nby investors seeking Rp 188 trillion in compensation for the
\nclosure of the mines.<\/p>\n
\"There was a dilemma between environmental and economic
\nissues. But economic concerns were deemed more important,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Herman added parties who opposed the endorsement could file
\nfor a judicial review with the Constitutional Court in order to
\nannul it.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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