Akbar asked to relinquish his posts
Party members call on Akbar to step down
The Jakarta Post Jakarta
While presidential consent was given on Thursday for state prosecutors to question House of Representatives (DPR) Speaker Akbar Tandjung in connection with a graft investigation, a faction inside the Golkar Party urged him to resign from his posts in the party and the House.
Some members of the eastern caucus of Iramasuka, which constitutes a strong force within Golkar, expressed support for the establishment of a House special committee to prove the alleged swindling of Rp 40 billion (US$4 million) from the State Logistics Agency (Bulog), which reportedly involves Akbar.
An executive at Golkar Party, Marwah Daud Ibrahim, said she supported the establishment of a special committee if it could improve the legal process against Akbar, who is also the chairman of Golkar.
"In this scandal, the law must be enforced. If the special committee is able to enforce the law, it must be set up. But if there is no significance, we should not pursue it," she said.
She also said that if Akbar was proven guilty, he must be punished and if Golkar is proven guilty, the organization must be penalized.
Golkar Advisory Board deputy chairman AA Baramuli was more supportive of the establishment of a special committee.
He said the Golkar faction at the House must join others in support of the special committee.
"It would be a setback for the party if they refused to support the proposal to establish a special commission," Baramuli said.
He further said that Golkar must hold an emergency meeting to decide whether it would let Akbar maintain his chairmanship.
He also suggested that Akbar resign temporarily from his position as House speaker to allow the investigation to proceed.
State/Cabinet Secretary Bambang Kesowo said President Megawati Soekarnoputri signed and sent on Thursday a letter allowing the Attorney General's Office to question Akbar as a witness in the new Bulog case.
Meanwhile, the deputy attorney general for special crimes, Bachtiar Fachri Nasution, said his office would soon schedule a time to question Akbar as a witness.
"Soon after approval is secured from the President, we will find a time to summon him (Akbar). We, however, have yet to receive it (the approval letter)."
Akbar allegedly diverted Rp 40 billion in funds from Bulog into the party's coffers when he was state secretary during former president B.J. Habibie's tenure in 1999.
Golkar deputy secretary-general Rully Chairul Azwar suspected that a political motive was behind the case to weaken the party's position ahead of the 2004 general election.
Responding to the demand for Akbar to quit, Rully said the replacement of party chairman could be made only in a leadership meeting, slated for January.
"The soonest meeting will be in January in which Golkar's regional chapters will evaluate Akbar's leadership," Rully said.
Meanwhile, Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation chairman Bambang Widjojanto expressed his doubts that justice would be done in the case.
"We do not have a grand design to fight corruption. If the case proceeds, I don't believe there will be a resolution. We do not have a sophisticated legal system. Akbar is clever, he realizes the situation," Bambang told The Jakarta Post.