House confirms Gus Dur's role

House confirms Gus Dur's role

JAKARTA (JP): The House of Representatives' special committee
investigating the Bulog and Brunei financial scandals alleged
that President Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid was involved in the
two scams.

Sources at the House told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday that the
President allegedly had a role in the withdrawal and disbursement
of the Rp 35 billion (US$3.9 million) funds from the foundation
of the State Logistics Agency (Bulog). The committee also
considered that he had been inconsistent in giving explanations
to the public on Brunei's US$2-million financial assistance.

The 34-page report was handed over to the House leadership in
a plenary session on Monday and its copies were disseminated to
all legislators on Tuesday. The House factions are scheduled to
present their response to the report on Thursday.

A source said that based on documents and witnesses's
explanations to the special committee, the committee concluded
that the President helped his former masseur Alip Agung Suwondo
to disburse funds from the Bulog foundation (Yanatera).

"Gus Dur has known Suwondo since 1986 and the latter
introduced former Bulog deputy chief Sapuan to the President.
And, according to several witnesses, the President gave a Rp 5
billion check, part of the Yanatera funds, to his businessman
friend Siti Farikha," said a source.

The source said the disbursement of the funds was related to
the President's planned humanitarian aid to restive Aceh, "but,
it is strange that the funds disbursed from the Bulog foundation
were given to four persons who have no connection with the
planned humanitarian aid to Aceh."

He said the testimony given by a number of Bulog officials,
including Yusuf Kalla, former National Police chief Gen.
Roesdihardjo, Baharuddin Lopa, Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, and
Sapuan, indicated the President helped Suwondo to disburse the
funds and he played a role in expending them.

With regards to the Brunei scandal, another source said the
special committee found an inconsistency in the use of Brunei
Sultan Hassanah Bolkiah's $2-billion aid, which the President
claimed as a personal gift.

"According to the President, the funds were distributed to
Aceh, West Kalimantan, Ambon and Irian Jaya while according to
his businessman friend Musnah, who admitted managing the funds,
the funds were distributed only to Aceh and Riau," said the
source, who was also a former member of the already-dissolved
special committee.

Referring to the 1997 law on government's non-tax income, the
sultan's financial assistance should have been included in the
2000 state budget if it was considered a grant to Indonesia.

Meanwhile, House factions are expected to give a different
political stance on the result of the special committee's
investigation into the two financial scandals.

Tumbu Saraswati, deputy chairwoman of the Indonesian
Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) faction said her
faction would be fair in presenting its political stance on the
two scandals.

"Our faction will be objective and fair in giving its opinion
on the special committee's report. We support the investigation
in its effort to seek the truth about the scams and it is
consistent with our party policy to uphold the supremacy of the
law," she said.

A PDI Perjuangan faction member who asked for anonymity said
his faction would also question the violation of official
procedure committed by the special committee in carrying out the
investigation.

"In Monday's plenary session, the special committee admitted
its fault in breaching the law and the House's internal rules. In
the next plenary session, factions are expected to give their
political stance on the violation. If the faults are accepted,
the report must be annulled," he said.

The special committee failed to give a monthly report to the
House leadership, legislators and the President during the four-
month investigation and to unveil its budget for the probe.

The Golkar Party vowed to present a fair and objective
evaluation on the result of the investigation, saying it wanted
the President to learn a lesson from the two scandals.

"Our faction is of the opinion, that the two scandals must be
brought to court if the President is allegedly involved," Syamsul
Muarif, chairman of the Golkar faction at the House, said.

He said his faction had no political aim to topple the
President but wanted him to improve his management style of the
government.

"Our faction will remain critical of the President and the
latter should learn an important lesson from the House's
investigation into the two scandals," he said.

Syamsul however said that the President could be impeached
only if he was found guilty in the Bulog and Brunei scandals.

"The House of Representatives could not issue a memorandum, or
call on the People's Consultative Assembly to hold a special
session to impeach the President as long as the President is not
found guilty by the court," Syamsul Muarif, chairman of the
Golkar faction at the House, said on Tuesday.

He said that the House has no authority to declare the
President guilty in the two scandals but it has a right of
inquiry to carry out a political investigation into the scams.

The National Awakening Party (PKB) faction said it would urge
the House to annul the report because the investigation was
carried out against the law and the House's internal rules.

"Besides failing to unveil its monthly report during the
investigation, the special committee has never reported its
budget. The investigation was also politicized to discredit the
President and the investigation's results were also leaked to the
press to gain political support from antigovernment groups,"
Abdul Khaliq Achmad, secretary of the PKB faction, said.

He said the House should make a decision on whether to accept
the special committee's violations or not before making a
decision on the report. (rms/dja)