Bambang's fate to be decided today

Bambang's fate to be decided today

JAKARTA (JP): Leaders of the House of Representatives (DPR) are expected to make a decision today on Golkar's proposal to expel its outspoken House member Bambang Warih Koesoemo.

The dominant political grouping, however, is certain that House Speaker Wahono will make a ruling in Golkar's favor.

Golkar Deputy chairman Agung Laksono said last night that even though Wahono alone has the authority to endorse the proposal, he will inevitably support Golkar's decision.

"I am sure he will make a ruling which supports Golkar's decision," he told The Jakarta Post during a gathering to commemorate Golkar's 27th anniversary in the DPR. "There is no strong reason to issue a different ruling."

Wahono was conspicuously absent from the gathering.

"I believe that the political decision of Golkar (to remove Bambang from his legislative post) has solid reasons. There are grounds for it and I believe that tomorrow's decision by the DPR leaders will be the same," he said.

Agung rejected the suggestion that Wahono might surprise Golkar by taking a different stance on the matter. Such speculation was once considered a possibility after Wahono showed signs of reluctance to have Bambang removed.

"Wahono is indeed the House Speaker, but he is also a cadre of Golkar," Agung said. "We believe he will rule in our favor."

Another prominent member of Golkar, however, expressed dissatisfaction with the grouping's ruling on Bambang, who many feel was fired because of his disclosure of a major bad loan scandal.

Marzuki Darusman, former Golkar legislator and currently vice chairman of the National Commission on Human Rights, said he could not accept the fact that Bambang was dismissed for such a trivial reason as having "offended ministers".

"If he was guilty of that charge, leaders of the commissions in which he was speaking with the ministers should have reprimanded him at the time," Marzuki said. "Those commission leaders never did, and all of a sudden, Golkar leaders are using those accusations as grounds to dismiss him."

Agung insisted that Golkar's central executive board had followed all procedures in dealing with Bambang's case.

"Dismissing a legislator is not something ordinary," Agung said. "We didn't want it to happen, because it was not going to benefit anybody."

"However, this is a political decision that has been taken under much consideration and especially addresses the undisciplined actions of Golkar members. Every organization has its own rules, and so does Golkar," he said. (swe)