Foiled Bulogate inquiry blows reform sky-high
Foiled Bulogate inquiry blows reform sky-high
Bernie K. Moestafa and Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The collapse of all hopes of a political inquiry into House
Speaker Akbar Tandjung's alleged involvement in a graft case
shows that the mighty flare sent up by the 1998 reform movement
has turned into a damp squib.
A motley collection of miniscule political parties and a civil
society still in its infancy were now the reform movement's only
hope, analysts said.
"To know why the Bulogate II inquiry was scuttled, we have to
assess the bargaining position of the reformers. It doesn't
amount to much," said political observer Fachry Ali on Tuesday.
In March, the Attorney General's Office named Akbar a suspect
in a Rp 40 billion (about US$4.5 million) graft case involving
State Logistics Agency (Bulog) funds.
Dubbed Bulogate II, after a similar case involving former
President Abdurrahman Wahid, the AGO's findings triggered calls
for a House special committee to probe Akbar's involvement in the
case.
The country's second largest party, Golkar, which Akbar
chairs, has since gone all out to defend its chairman, lobbying
parties to vote against the setting up of the committee.
Concern rose that Golkar was in the business of offering
political deals to protect Akbar's career. All this stood in
stark contrast to the zeal and determination with which
legislators, notably those from Golkar, hounded Abdurrahman
through a special committee set up to investigate Bulogate I.
On Monday, legislators confirmed the suspicions of the public
when they voted against the establishment of a special committee.
Golkar, the United Development Party (PPP), and the Indonesian
Military/National Police factions all voted against.
The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan),
which initially backed the setting up of the committee, withdrew
its support and, with the exception of a few members, its
legislators chose to abstain.
Fachry Ali said the PDI Perjuangan feared that pushing ahead
with the inquiry would cost the party Golkar's support.
Although controlling the largest share of seats in the House,
the PDI Perjuangan realized that it needed the support of other
big parties like Golkar and PPP to survive until at least the
2004 general election.
"There has been an agreement among the political parties not
to rock the political boat until 2004," Fachry Ali explained.
The deal would be translated into the eschewing of political
maneuvers against PDI Perjuangan chairwoman President Megawati
Soekarnoputri.
Political observer Arief Budiman said the vote on Monday
showed that the political parties were more interested in
maintaining power until 2004 than fighting graft.
"We can't rely much on our political parties, many of whose
members are mere opportunists," Arief said.
Reflecting on Monday's vote debacle, the National Awakening
Party (PKB) faction issued an apology to the entire nation for
its incompetence in pushing for the establishment of a committee
of inquiry into the Rp 40 billion scandal.
The fourth largest faction in the House urged the people to
continuously monitor law enforcement and the attempts to
eradicate corruption, collusion and nepotism.
"I apologize to the whole people for our deficiencies in
pushing for the setting up of an inquiry committee," said PKB
faction chairman Ali Masjkur Musa on Tuesday.
The PKB contributed to the failure as only 19 of its 55
members showed up at the plenary meeting.
"We will question those of our members who stayed away," Ali
said.
In contrast to his boss, PKB legislator Effendy Choirie simply
urged the press to forget all about it.
The blame for the House's failure to set up an inquiry
committee was laid particularly at the door of the most
influential party in the House, the PDI Perjuangan, for
withdrawing its support at the last moment.
Only five out of 100 PDI Perjuangan legislators present at the
meeting voted for the proposal.
PDI Perjuangan member Julius Usman said it would be difficult
for him to face the people if he had rejected the proposal.
"I turned to my conscience and ethics," Julius told the press.
He added his decision to support the creation of a special
committee was due to his disappointment with the legal process in
the high-profile scandal.
Julius emphasized that a political approach in the form of a
legislative inquiry was needed to disclose wrongdoings that could
not be revealed in the courtroom.
Commenting on the fact that the majority of members of his
faction abstained during the vote, Julius said the party's
executive board had ordered all members to reject the proposal.
He said that the decision of PDI Perjuangan members to abstain
was designed to accommodate the desire to back the setting up of
an inquiry committee and at the same time to comply with the
order of the party's executive board.
Fellow PDI Perjuangan legislator Aberson Marle Sihaloho, who
voted against the proposal, reiterated that his party had faith
in the ongoing legal process.
Bernie K. Moestafa and Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The collapse of all hopes of a political inquiry into House
Speaker Akbar Tandjung's alleged involvement in a graft case
shows that the mighty flare sent up by the 1998 reform movement
has turned into a damp squib.
A motley collection of miniscule political parties and a civil
society still in its infancy were now the reform movement's only
hope, analysts said.
"To know why the Bulogate II inquiry was scuttled, we have to
assess the bargaining position of the reformers. It doesn't
amount to much," said political observer Fachry Ali on Tuesday.
In March, the Attorney General's Office named Akbar a suspect
in a Rp 40 billion (about US$4.5 million) graft case involving
State Logistics Agency (Bulog) funds.
Dubbed Bulogate II, after a similar case involving former
President Abdurrahman Wahid, the AGO's findings triggered calls
for a House special committee to probe Akbar's involvement in the
case.
The country's second largest party, Golkar, which Akbar
chairs, has since gone all out to defend its chairman, lobbying
parties to vote against the setting up of the committee.
Concern rose that Golkar was in the business of offering
political deals to protect Akbar's career. All this stood in
stark contrast to the zeal and determination with which
legislators, notably those from Golkar, hounded Abdurrahman
through a special committee set up to investigate Bulogate I.
On Monday, legislators confirmed the suspicions of the public
when they voted against the establishment of a special committee.
Golkar, the United Development Party (PPP), and the Indonesian
Military/National Police factions all voted against.
The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan),
which initially backed the setting up of the committee, withdrew
its support and, with the exception of a few members, its
legislators chose to abstain.
Fachry Ali said the PDI Perjuangan feared that pushing ahead
with the inquiry would cost the party Golkar's support.
Although controlling the largest share of seats in the House,
the PDI Perjuangan realized that it needed the support of other
big parties like Golkar and PPP to survive until at least the
2004 general election.
"There has been an agreement among the political parties not
to rock the political boat until 2004," Fachry Ali explained.
The deal would be translated into the eschewing of political
maneuvers against PDI Perjuangan chairwoman President Megawati
Soekarnoputri.
Political observer Arief Budiman said the vote on Monday
showed that the political parties were more interested in
maintaining power until 2004 than fighting graft.
"We can't rely much on our political parties, many of whose
members are mere opportunists," Arief said.
Reflecting on Monday's vote debacle, the National Awakening
Party (PKB) faction issued an apology to the entire nation for
its incompetence in pushing for the establishment of a committee
of inquiry into the Rp 40 billion scandal.
The fourth largest faction in the House urged the people to
continuously monitor law enforcement and the attempts to
eradicate corruption, collusion and nepotism.
"I apologize to the whole people for our deficiencies in
pushing for the setting up of an inquiry committee," said PKB
faction chairman Ali Masjkur Musa on Tuesday.
The PKB contributed to the failure as only 19 of its 55
members showed up at the plenary meeting.
"We will question those of our members who stayed away," Ali
said.
In contrast to his boss, PKB legislator Effendy Choirie simply
urged the press to forget all about it.
The blame for the House's failure to set up an inquiry
committee was laid particularly at the door of the most
influential party in the House, the PDI Perjuangan, for
withdrawing its support at the last moment.
Only five out of 100 PDI Perjuangan legislators present at the
meeting voted for the proposal.
PDI Perjuangan member Julius Usman said it would be difficult
for him to face the people if he had rejected the proposal.
"I turned to my conscience and ethics," Julius told the press.
He added his decision to support the creation of a special
committee was due to his disappointment with the legal process in
the high-profile scandal.
Julius emphasized that a political approach in the form of a
legislative inquiry was needed to disclose wrongdoings that could
not be revealed in the courtroom.
Commenting on the fact that the majority of members of his
faction abstained during the vote, Julius said the party's
executive board had ordered all members to reject the proposal.
He said that the decision of PDI Perjuangan members to abstain
was designed to accommodate the desire to back the setting up of
an inquiry committee and at the same time to comply with the
order of the party's executive board.
Fellow PDI Perjuangan legislator Aberson Marle Sihaloho, who
voted against the proposal, reiterated that his party had faith
in the ongoing legal process.