'Akbar no longer fit and proper to lead the House'

'Akbar no longer fit and proper to lead the House'

Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Members of the House of Representatives perceive their speaker
Akbar Tandjung to be a liability and suggest that he quit his
post because he is no longer "fit and proper" to lead the
legislative body due to his alleged involvement in the misuse of
Rp 40 billion funds belonging to the State Logistics Agency
(Bulog).

Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan)
legislator Firman Jaya Daeli is the latest to urge House leaders
and factions to immediately discuss the replacement of Akbar.

"Akbar is no longer fit and proper to lead the House,
therefore House leaders should talk about his replacement,"
Firman told the media at the House here on Monday.

Firman, who is deputy secretary of the influential PDI
Perjuangan faction, admitted that his faction had discussed
Akbar's dismissal in an internal meeting.

Strong calls also emerged from the National Awakening Party
(PKB) and the Crescent Star Party (PBB) for Akbar to relinquish
his post.

The increasing calls appear to cancel out previous statements
from deputy House speakers Soetardjo Soerjogoeritno of PDI
Perjuangan and A.M. Fatwa of the National Mandate Party (PAN),
who said that Akbar's detention did not affect activities in the
House and therefore the demand for his replacement was
irrelevant.

Fatwa insisted that the legal process in Akbar's graft case
should not be mixed up with political maneuverings, which is
shown in the rising call for Akbar's removal.

Chairman of PKB faction Ali Masykur Musa suggested that Akbar
quit his legislative post for the sake of the House's dignity.

"Following his detention, the issue of the House leadership
must be taken into account by Akbar. With his resignation, Akbar
will set the House free from problems," Ali said.

If Akbar holds his position, Ali added, he would allow the
House to come under continuous public criticism.

He emphasized that by ignoring calls for his resignation,
Akbar would just confirm public suspicions that not all members
of the House held high standards of morality and ethics.

Hamdan Zoelva of PBB suggested that Akbar relinquish the post
to enable the House to carry out its legislative duties
uninterrupted by Akbar's legal case.

"A plenary meeting should formally assign a legislator to
handle the day-to-day tasks of the House speaker," Hamdan added.

Political will for the creation of a clean and strong
government had emerged during the annual plenary session of the
People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), with the issuance of Decree
No. VIII/2001 on the guidelines for the eradication of
corruption, collusion and nepotism (KKN).

The decree says that any state official suspected of
corruption has to receive administrative punishment.

Although there is no elaboration of the forms of penalty, Ali
said that dismissal could be interpreted as one of the sanctions.

"I think a House plenary meeting can soon set up an ad hoc
honorary council to discuss this matter," Ali said.

Firman agreed, suggesting that a consultative meeting among
House leaders and the 10 factions would be followed up with a
plenary meeting to set up the ad hoc honorary council to decide
Akbar's fate.

Golkar, meanwhile, held a plenary executive meeting at its
headquarters in Slipi, West Jakarta to discus, among other
things, the party's responses to Akbar's detention and demands
for its cadres in the Cabinet to quit and Akbar's temporary
replacement. The party will announce results of the meeting on
Tuesday.