AGO told to tolerate criticism
Tony Hotland, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta
House of Representatives Speaker Agung Laksono has spoken out against Thursday's commotion between legislators and the Attorney General's Office (AGO), asserting that state officials should be prepared to take criticism.
Responding to Thursday's incident between legislators and Attorney General Abdul Rachman Saleh, Agung said that it was purely a case of miscommunication.
"What happened was just a misunderstanding over the language used. It was merely an expression of our discontent over the performance of prosecutors in dealing with corruption cases," he said on Friday.
A brief commotion ended a five-hour meeting between legislators and the AGO on Thursday, when a House member from the Reform Star Party depicted Abdul as "an Islamic preacher in a village of thieves".
The remark, which was made a couple of times, followed legislators' repeated accusations that prosecutors had used blackmail and politicized corruption cases in regional areas.
Abdul said the remark was inappropriate and hurtful, and he wanted it withdrawn, a demand legislators refused to meet. A couple of high-ranking prosecutors then stood up and called out to legislators, demanding respect.
Nevertheless, Agung also called on legislators to convey their criticisms politely to avoid misunderstandings.
Other House members, including from the National Mandate Party and United Development Party factions, expressed their disappointment and asked President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to take stern action against the AGO.
They said Abdul had failed to control to calm his subordinates and that his position was beyond his capabilities.
The House's disciplinary council is scheduled to hold a meeting next Tuesday to discuss the incident before taking further action.
The discussion, said board chairman Slamet Effendy Yusuf, would likely focus on whether the incident was in contempt of the legislature.
Separately, Abdul Rahman said he had reported the incident to the President, and maintained his stance that the remark was unethical and inappropriate.
"The President wants all government officials to maintain good and constructive relationships with the House. But we'll need to begin a new era in which there is mutual respect and ethics and etiquette are upheld," he said.
He said his office would continue investigating corruption cases and prosecute the guilty parties, regardless of their affiliations.