DPR inquiry of Akbar to proceed

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.