Pressures mount
\non Akbar
\nto resign<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post
\nJakarta<\/p>\n
Pressure is mounting on House of Representatives' (DPR)
\nSpeaker Akbar Tanjung to temporarily relinquish his position
\nafter he was named a suspect in the Rp 40 billion (US$3.9
\nmillion) Bulog scandal.<\/p>\n
Major political parties, including the Indonesian Democratic
\nParty of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), the National Awakening Party
\n(PKB) and the National Mandate Party (PAN) demanded Akbar's
\ntemporary resignation on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
However, saying they wanted justice to run its course through
\nthe court system, the parties said they were reluctant to deal
\nwith Akbar politically, namely through the establishment of a
\nspecial House committee.<\/p>\n
That the matter should proceed through the justice system,
\nsuits Akbar's Golkar Party, as the system is long, winding and
\ndifficult to predict.<\/p>\n
"In a bid to establish a fair legal process, Akbar Tanjung
\nshould temporarily resign from his current position," PDI
\nPerjuangan Secretary General Soetjipto said after the party's
\nweekly meeting led by it chairwoman, President Megawati
\nSoekarnoputri.<\/p>\n
Soetjipto added that the party may not support the
\nestablishment of the special committee and wanted to give the
\nlegal process a chance to proceed.<\/p>\n
Similar positions were also aired by PAN and PKB. Unlike PDI
\nPerjuangan, PKB demanded the establishment of the special
\ncommittee.<\/p>\n
The only big parties that do not demand Akbar's temporary
\nresignation were the United Development Party (PPP) and surely
\nGolkar which Akbar chairs.<\/p>\n
PPP chairman Hamzah Haz, who is also vice president, supported
\nAkbar in his decision to remain speaker of the house.<\/p>\n
The stance raises suspicions that PPP is among a number of
\npolitical parties to have received a slice of the Rp 40 billion,
\noriginating from the State Logistics Agency (Bulog).<\/p>\n
In fact, Golkar executive, Syamsul Muarif once said that all
\npolitical parties contesting the 1999 elections, except the
\nPeople's Democratic Party, received portions of the funds.<\/p>\n
It is not surprising, therefore, that legislators on Tuesday
\ndid not go all out to question Akbar's position. Instead, they
\nwere busy formulating penalties for lazy legislators who were
\nabsent from most House sessions.<\/p>\n
This gives Akbar, an experienced politician and long time
\nservant of former autocrat Soeharto, a reason to defend his
\nposition.<\/p>\n
Akbar, the first house speaker to be declared a suspect in a
\ncorruption case, remained defiant saying that he had strong
\ngrounds to maintain his position.<\/p>\n
"All people should uphold the presumption of innocence
\nprinciple. If the people understand this, they will have no
\nreason to force me to leave my seat," he told reporters.<\/p>\n
Akbar may follow the example of Bank Indonesia Governor
\nSjahril Sabirin, who maintains his position despite being named a
\nsuspect in another high-profile scam, the Bank Bali scandal.<\/p>\n
Sjahril's trial is still proceeding at the Central Jakarta
\nDistrict Court.<\/p>\n
This reality may draw questions among rank and file people:
\nCould the country dream of having justice established and
\nnurtured while important institutions such as the House and the
\ncentral bank are being led by suspected corruptors and thieves?<\/p>\n
Analysts on Tuesday questioned the morality of people
\nsuspected of crimes who maintained important positions.<\/p>\n
Although there are no rules forcing them to relinquish their
\npowerful positions, their moral responsibility and ethical
\nconduct should force them to do so, analysts said.<\/p>\n
"It's not a matter of the presumption of innocence principle,
\nbut an ethics matter," said Gadjah Madah University political
\nanalyst Afan Gaffar.<\/p>\n
He said Akbar's resignation was a must to build people's
\nconfidence in the House of Representatives.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/pressures-mount-1447899208",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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