Factions rebuke govt over Sukhoi, BLBI

Factions rebuke govt over Sukhoi, BLBI

A'an Suryana and Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Most of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) factions
expressed on Saturday their disappointment with the achievements
of President Megawati Soekarnoputri's government over the past
year, saying it did not live up to people's expectations.

The controversial purchase of Sukhoi jet fighters topped the
list of criticisms, which also covered the government's policies
regarding separatism, privatization of state enterprises, rampant
corruption and poor law enforcement.

Only 407 lawmakers of the 700-strong MPR were present at
Saturday's session to hear the factions' responses to Megawati's
progress report, delivered during the opening session on Friday.

The gist of Megawati's report was that her government had
brought both political and economic stability.

Megawati, Vice President Hamzah Haz and a number of Cabinet
ministers who attended the session appeared calm, even when the
factions launched verbal attacks on the government through their
spokespersons.

The Sukhoi deal became a hot issue over the past month, after
the House of Representatives set up a working committee to
inquire into alleged procedural violations in their purchase. The
committee had listed Megawati's son-in-law among those to be
quizzed, but no date has been set for this.

The controversy centers on the US$192.6 million purchase, made
during a state visit to Moscow in May, of four Sukhoi jet
fighters and two assault helicopters. The combat aircraft were
bought through a countertrade deal for Indonesian products and
commodities.

The Golkar Party, the main rival of Megawati's Indonesian
Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), lashed out at the
government over the deal, saying the purchase was not mentioned
on the state budget's expenditure, so the government had violated
the State Budget Law.

Golkar spokesman Amidhan said the government had also breached
Law No. 3/2002 on defense for bypassing the defense ministry in
the deal, which was instead administered by the trade ministry.

"The deal proves that the government has failed to understand
and apply good governance," read Amidhan.

Reform faction spokesman Abdul Hakam Naja demanded a formal
investigation into those allegedly involved in the deal.

PDI Perjuangan did not touch the Sukhoi deal in its response,
and only said Megawati had defended the issue in her progress
report as following proper administration procedures.

Joining the chorus of attack on the government, the National
Awakening Party (PKB) faction focused its offensive on the
government's weak law enforcement, expressing discontent that
only three of about 50 officials charged with misusing the Bank
Indonesia Liquidity Support (BLBI) had been brought to court.

"There should have been no difficulty in dealing with the
cases if the President had stuck to her promise to combat
corruption down to its roots," read spokesman Amin Said Husni.

On the Aceh issue, most factions agreed that the government
must push the humanitarian aspect of the integrated operation to
win the hearts and minds of the people of the war-torn province.

In regards privatization, the Reform and the Crescent Star
Party factions expressed various concerns over asset sales,
particularly that of shares in telecommunication company Indosat
to a Singapore-based holding company, saying such productive and
strategic state assets must not fall into foreign hands.

Most factions also pressed that the Annual Session produce a
recommendation for the Megawati government to improve their
performance.