House awaits results of Jamsostek scandal probe
JAKARTA (JP): House of Representatives leaders will not take any measures against legislators who allegedly took bribes while deliberating the manpower bill pending the investigation launched by the Development and Finance Control Agency and the Attorney General's office.
Deputy House Speaker Abdul Gafur told a press conference that the agency and the attorney general's office were the proper institutions to conclude whether the money provided by the state- owned workers' social insurance company PT Jamsostek constituted a bribe or not.
"Let's leave this up to the two institutions which will decide whether the funds spent during the bill deliberation were illegal or not," Gafur said.
Jamsostek executives are being questioned over the alleged misuse of funds at the Jakarta provincial prosecutor's office and the state audit agency.
The press conference followed a House leadership meeting to discuss the bribery allegation. House Speaker Harmoko presided over the weekly meeting.
Minister of Manpower Abdul Latief has asked Jamsostek president Abdillah Nusi for Rp 7.1 billion (US$2.15 million) to finance the two months deliberation. But Jamsostek said it managed only Rp 3.1 billion which was taken from the company's budget earmarked for protection of workers and membership expenditure.
The 1992/1997 House of Representatives passed the bill on Sept. 11. Some of the legislators involved in the deliberation are still serving in the current House.
Gafur said the House leaders also asked leaders of each faction in the legislative body to check whether its members who took part in the deliberation received the money.
"For us, receiving money during a bill deliberation is okay as long as it is given in accordance with the rules," Gafur of Golkar said. He did not elaborate on what he meant by "rules".
"It's normal, for example, that an expert is paid for his or her presentation in a seminar," he added.
Fellow deputy speaker Ismail Hasan Metareum, who also attended the conference, rejected the practice.
"I have been in the House for a long time and I have never taken money except that given by the House. There is no rule which allows a legislator to accept anything from a ministry sponsoring a bill," said Ismail of the United Development Party.
He said a legislator involved in the deliberation of a bill received Rp 700,000 (US$193.5) from the state.
The House's secretary-general, Afif Ma'roef, told the conference that the government allocated Rp 114,498,300 in the state budget per bill deliberation.
Ismail said that yesterday's House leadership meeting decided not to hold a hearing with Latief, pending the completion of investigations of the alleged misuse of Jamsostek funds.
"We'll let House Commission V for manpower affairs decide the date of the hearing with the minister," he said.
Latief wrote to Harmoko last Friday, requesting a hearing with the House to explain the matter. Latief met Vice President Try Sutrisno Monday for the same purpose.
In a related development, Attorney General Singgih said the questioning of members and former members of the House of Representatives would possibly start after the state audit agency finished its investigation.
He said such a questioning was not intended to automatically press charges against the legislators.
"We are still in the early stages. One cannot say that a person who is questioned is guilty just like that," Singgih said.
Meanwhile, some 100 labor activists from the unrecognized Indonesian Prosperous Labor Union (SBSI) rallied at the Ministry of Manpower office to protest Jamsostek's huge spending in the deliberation of the manpower bill.
They accused Latief of abusing state money to influence legislators.
"Don't teach us corruption and collusion," read one banner unfurled by activists outside Latief's office. (10/imn/amd)
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