Women legislators lead charge against Akbar<\/p>\n
Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
A group of women legislators have taken the lead in the movement
\nto force out House of Representatives Speaker Akbar Tandjung over
\nhis conviction in a Rp 40 billion corruption case.<\/p>\n
Dwi Ria Latifa of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle
\n(PDI Perjuangan) and Ida Fauziah of the National Awakening Party
\n(PKB) have circulated a motion calling for the establishment of a
\ndisciplinary committee to determine whether Akbar should be
\nallowed to serve out his term as House Speaker until 2004. The
\nmotion has been signed by women legislators from a number of
\nparties, including the Golkar Party, which Akbar chairs.<\/p>\n
Ria said the proposal has received the backing of at least
\nthree other women legislators: Eka Komariah Kuncoro of Golkar,
\nNurdiati Akma of the Reform Faction and Tari Siwi Utami of PKB.<\/p>\n
Ria, Ida and Marwah Daud Ibrahim, an outspoken critic of Akbar
\nin the Golkar Party, have fiercely opposed Akbar's leadership in
\nthe legislative body, but have received no support from the
\nmajority of legislators.<\/p>\n
\"We are upset by the lack of courage on the part of the male
\nlegislators to take the initiate to propose such a motion,\" said
\nDwi, accompanied by Ida, at her office in the House here on
\nWednesday.<\/p>\n
According to the House's internal rulings, at least 10
\nlegislators must sign the motion before it can be processed by
\nthe steering committee (Bamus). Then it can be brought to a
\nplenary session where a decision can be made on whether to accept
\nor reject the motion.<\/p>\n
Legislators, mostly from the PKB and minor parties, have
\nintroduced similar motions in the past, but they failed to gain
\nthe necessary support to force Bamus to bring them to a plenary
\nsession.<\/p>\n
A district court sentenced Akbar to three years in prison for
\nmisusing Rp 40 billion of State Logistics Agency (Bulog) funds.
\nThe Jakarta High Court upheld the sentence last week and Akbar
\nhas filed a final appeal with the Supreme Court.<\/p>\n
Akbar has declined to step down, saying the case occurred in
\n1999 when he was minister\/state secretary, making it a past
\noffense that is not regulated by the House's internal rulings.<\/p>\n
Akbar's case is the latest blow to its image that the House
\nhas suffered over the last three years.<\/p>\n
Among its other public relations disasters were high
\nabsenteeism among legislators, a bribery case implicating House
\nCommission IX for financial affairs and a financial scandal
\ninvolving PT QSAR and House Deputy Speaker Tosary Widjaya.<\/p>\n
However, not all of the news coming from the House is bad. Ria
\nand Ida, for their part, have vowed to continue to seek the
\nnecessary support to bring their proposal to a House plenary
\nsession.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/women-legislators-lead-charge-against-akbar-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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