DPR inquiry of Akbar to proceed

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Legislators from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) will press ahead with the creation of a special team to investigate House Speaker Akbar Tandjung's role in the alleged misuse of a Rp 40 billion fund even though he has been named a suspect by the Attorney General.

They insisted on Monday that the team was needed because the public trust in the judicial system was wearing thin and that they need the legislative body's role to unravel the scandal.

"Our stance on the issue remains," Sophan Sophiaan, a PDI Perjuangan senior legislator, told The Jakarta Post.

PDI Perjuangan, the largest party led by President Megawati Soekarnoputri, along with the National Awakening Party (PKB), is the most eager faction to see the creation of a special team.

Roy BB Janis, chairman of the PDI Perjuangan faction in the House, said there were no reasons why the plan to set up the team should be dropped.

Support also came from PKB, whose patron chief Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid, fell from the presidency last July after he was impeached for being unpopular.

PKB Secretary Amin Said Husni said a special team would still be required to strengthen investigations by the Attorney General's Office.

He emphasized that Akbar's new status as a suspect gave no assurance that the scandal would be clearly revealed because the Golkar chief remained powerful enough to possibly influence the justice system.

The House is scheduled to convene a plenary session on Jan. 21 to decide whether to establish an investigative team or not. Several legislators have hinted that they would drop their demands.