Akbar rebuffs demands to quit House post
Ainur R. Sophiaan and Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Surabaya/Jakarta
Convicted House Speaker Akbar Tandjung seems to have grown more confident after blocking a move to unseat him in the legislature, declaring that the calls from his opponents and the public for him to resign were "irrelevant".
Akbar said the demands for his exit from the House's top post lacked good grounds as the legal process in which he was involved did not prevent him from performing his duties.
"There is no reason for me to step aside temporarily as I there is no requirment for me to leave the House as a result of this legal process," Akbar said while attending the funeral of a senior Golkar leader in East Java on Wednesday.
Akbar was convicted of corruption and sentenced to three years imprisonment for his role as state secretary/minister in the misuse of Rp 40 billion belonging to the State Logistics Agency (Bulog).
During his trial, Akbar claimed to have spent the money on a food-for-the-poor program. Later, after Akbar found himself in hot water, all of the money was suddenly repaid to the state.
Akbar has vehemently denied all wrongdoing and has appealed to the high court. He says he will go all the way to the Supreme Court, if necessary.
Akbar, who chairs the country's second largest party, Golkar, argued that similar situations had arose in other countries.
He pointed to former U.S. President Bill Clinton and the former speaker of the U.S. Congress, both of whom were allegedly involved in financial impropriety but failed to step down from office.
"There have been many cases in other countries where state officials have been involved in criminal prosecutions and where they were not forced to step aside," he claimed.
The calls for Akbar to quit the House speakership have been mounting following the verdict against him earlier this month. Representatives of 72 legislators on Monday submitted a petition of no-confidence in Akbar to deputy speaker Soetardjo Soerjogoeritno.
The legislators hoped their petition would be brought up during Tuesday's plenary meeting, but Akbar, who presided over the meeting, refused to discuss the petition, saying that his decision was in line with the House's internal rules.
Golkar legislator Baharuddin Aritonang emphasized that there was no obligation to announce all motions submitted to House leaders.
Meanwhile, People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Speaker Amien Rais predicted that Akbar would be able to maintain his chairmanship in the House because legislators were not serious to enforce the maneuver of no confidence against the convict.
He said the move of the legislators to force Akbar down was halfhearted. "That is our House. If there are only about 68 out of 500 legislators give support to the maneuver, it means only 12 percent," Amien added, implying the mandatory vote of 50 percent plus one to make a meaningful move against Akbar.
According to Amien, the position of Akbar would be safe until a final and binding verdict was handed down.
Akbar added that he would not ask the Supreme Court to speed up his legal process or to slow down it. He said he hoped the court would follow the existing rules. "There must be no pressure on my case," Akbar added.