Gowa DPRD Completes Inquiry Committee, Regent Faces Impeachment Threat

The Special Committee (Pansus) of the Gowa Regency DPRD in South Sulawesi has officially completed its investigation. The report of its findings, along with eight points of recommendation, has been submitted to the DPRD leadership for further processing.

Could the committee’s findings culminate in a proposal to impeach the Regent of Gowa, Sitti Husniah Talenrang?

“As of yesterday, our duties and responsibilities in the special committee have been completed,” said Kasim Sila, Chair of the Gowa DPRD Special Inquiry Committee, on Thursday (23 July).

The next stage, according to Kasim, lies in the hands of the DPRD leadership, who will distribute the report to all 45 council members.

“We handed the recommendations over to the leadership. After that, the leadership will distribute the committee’s report to the 45 DPRD members for their study,” he said.

Kasim said all DPRD members will subsequently determine whether the committee’s findings warrant proceeding to the exercise of the right to express an opinion.

He said that if a majority of members agree, the DPRD leadership will receive a formal proposal to continue the process.

“If the members consider our report worthy of being taken forward to the right to express an opinion, they will propose to the leadership that the right be exercised,” he explained.

Kasim explained that the right to express an opinion is a political stage whose mechanism could end in a proposal to remove a regional head.

“Expressing an opinion essentially leads towards nothing short of impeachment or removal,” he revealed.

According to Kasim, based on the reactions that emerged after the findings were read out, the majority of DPRD members tend to support continuing the process. However, the decision ultimately rests with all council members.

“It is almost certain the members will proceed to the right to express an opinion, but I do not wish to pre-empt their decision,” he said.

Eight points of recommendation

In addition, the committee produced eight points of recommendation directed at three parties: law enforcement authorities (APH), the Gowa Regency Government, and the leadership of the Gowa DPRD.

“There are eight points of recommendation. Some are directed at law enforcement, some at the Gowa Regency Government, and some at the leadership of the Gowa DPRD,” said Kasim.

One recommendation addressed to law enforcement relates to alleged corruption in the free school procurement programme.

“We are recommending to the police that they look into indications of alleged corruption in the free school procurement programme,” said Kasim.

Previously, Husniah had attended a hearing of the special inquiry committee at the Gowa DPRD on Tuesday (14 July). However, she declined to answer the committee members’ questions one by one.

She requested that the questions be collected collectively for her to answer, before walking out of the room.

When confirmed at the time, Husniah’s legal counsel said her client had chosen to leave because her rights as a party summoned for questioning had not been honoured by the committee.

“From the start, Madam was ready and prepared for all the questions from the committee. But she asked that her rights be honoured, namely that questions be submitted collectively and that the discussion remain within the realm of policy. That request was not fulfilled,” said Amirullah Mappaero, counsel for the Regent of Gowa, last Tuesday.

Meanwhile, another of the regent’s lawyers, Arie Dumais, argued that the examination process had not been conducted fairly under Article 128 of Law Number 1 of 2024, which allows a party summoned for questioning to respond either orally or in writing.

“Madam requested that the questions be submitted collectively and answered in writing. Our basis is Article 128, which stipulates that answers may be given orally or in writing,” said Arie.

Arie stressed that Regent Husniah Talenrang had demonstrated good faith by answering the committee’s summons.

At the time, responding separately to the regent’s stance, Kasim said the special inquiry committee would still draw conclusions from the hearings held so far.

“Even without her presence we can reach a conclusion, let alone when she attended. Without her presence, we would not yet know what the conclusion would be. We will hold an internal meeting on the conclusions drawn from everything, from the RDPU until now, and we will conclude,” Kasim said last week.