Bambang's fate is now in Soeharto's hands: Expert
Bambang's fate is now in Soeharto's hands: Expert
JAKARTA (JP): By passing on Golkar's demand to have Bambang Warih Koesomo removed from the House of Representatives, the House leaders have placed the legislator's fate in the hands of President Soeharto.
"It is now up to President Soeharto," M. Budyatna, the dean of the University of Indonesia's School of Social and Political Sciences said yesterday.
"I'm sure President Soeharto will wisely consider all the factors before making his decision," Budyatna said.
Speculation is now focused on the exact wording of the "additional considerations" note that House Speaker Wahono enclosed when he passed Golkar's letter on to the President.
Wahono has been under pressure for the last two weeks to meet Golkar's request to have Bambang, an outspoken legislator representing the ruling party, dismissed from the House.
On Wednesday, Wahono announced that the House leadership would pass Golkar's letter to President Soeharto with some additional notes, the contents of which he would not disclose.
But during the media briefing, Wahono made it clear that his move had nothing to do with "endorsing or not endorsing" the Golkar proposal. Rather it was a matter of following the proper procedures, he said.
The House speaker, who once chaired Golkar's executive board until he was edged out by Harmoko in 1993, refused to be rushed into making a decision and stressed that he wanted to treat the matter objectively.
Sources said Wahono and his deputies went over some of the House's records and documents to try to verify the alleged wrongdoings that Golkar has cited as grounds for Bambang's dismissal.
Bambang has also challenged the Golkar leadership to prove their accusations. At one stage, he even planned to sue Golkar for defamation and for making allegations that marred his reputation.
Political commentators have also been concerned with the way Golkar's executive board disclosed Bambang's case to the press before discussing it with the House leadership.
Budyatna and another observer, Dr. Afan Gaffar of Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta, criticized the Golkar leaders for their failure to observe due procedure in the handling of Bambang's case.
"This (dismissal) represents a setback in our democratization process," Afan said. "There hasn't been a dismissal for so long and suddenly we have this case."
"I'm concerned. We should all be very concerned," Afan said. (swe)