House committee invites President on Jan. 17

House committee invites President on Jan. 17

JAKARTA (JP): A House of Representatives special committee has
invited President Abdurrahman Wahid to clarify his alleged
involvement in two financial scandals on Jan. 17, the committee's
deputy chairman said on Wednesday.

"Refusal to meet the invitation means the President
disrespects the House and democracy," Alvin Lie of the National
Mandate Party (PAN) said after meeting with a group of students
from the Indonesian Student Consortium.

Alvin claimed the committee would likely refuse any offer to
question Abdurrahman at the presidential palace, saying this step
would only undermine the committee.

The committee will go to Cipinang Penitentiary in East Jakarta
to question Suwondo, a suspect in the case revolving around Rp 35
billion that was illegally withdrawn from the State Logistics
Agency's (Bulog) employee foundation.

"If Abdurrahman was in jail, we might visit him there," Alvin
said.

He said he hoped the committee could complete its
investigation with or without the President's testimony, and
report the results to a House plenary session on Jan. 29.

He dismissed speculation the committee had run out of steam
now that the House was in recess. Alvin said the committee
appeared to be inactive because it was currently compiling the
testimony of some 30 witnesses.

"How come he (the President) thinks we have collapsed and
given up. We will continue to prove that President was involved
in the scandals," he said.

Alvin and the committee's other members, Ade Komaruddin of
Golkar Party, Suryadharma Ali of the United Development Party
(PPP) and Julius Usman of the Indonesian Democratic Party of
Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), denied the President's recent
statement that he had fended off the committee.

The President said at the Indonesian World Council for
Religion and Peace forum on Monday he was inspired by the
legendary catenaccio defense that led the Italian soccer team to
the 1982 World Cup in taking on the special committee.

The President earlier said the committee was illegal because
it was not registered in the state gazette, as required by Law
No. 6/1954 on the House's right to conduct an inquiry.

Julius said the President's continuous counterattacks
indicated he was involved in the financial scandals.

"He had better keep quiet if he feels he is not guilty, merely
because we have not concluded anything. By attacking us, we
suspect he knew of the scandals." (jun)