House factions intensify lobbying over scandal report

House factions intensify lobbying over scandal report

JAKARTA (JP): Lobbying by factions inside the House of
Representatives intensified on Friday, as Monday's deadline for
the submission of the report of the special committee
investigating the Bulog and Brunei scandals looms.

As of Friday night, the 50 committee members had yet to reach
a consensus on formulating crucial points in the report which is
due to be discussed at a closed-door House plenary session on
Monday. The 10 factions are due to present their respective views
on the report at a public session on Thursday.

Didi Supriyanto, deputy chairman of the special committee,
said lobbying was being conducted after the committee failed to
reach a consensus on the draft report which examines the
President Abdurrahman Wahid's alleged involvement in the
fraudulent disbursement of Rp 35 billion from the State Logistics
Agency (Bulog) foundation and in the Bruneigate affair.

"The committee may resort to a vote because the drafting of
the report on the findings of the investigation into the two
scandals must be completed tonight," the Indonesian Democratic
Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) legislator told The Jakarta
Post by telephone on Friday night.

He added that so far the committee had yet to even discuss the
draft report on the investigation into the Bruneigate affair.

The Golkar party's Ade Komaruddin, who is also a member of the
special committee, revealed that the most controversial point was
deciding how President Abdurrahman Wahid's role should be
presented in report.

"Many want to mention the President's alleged involvement in
the draft report while others reject this," he said.

Several factions also held their own meetings to prepare their
respective political stances on the committee's report.

PDI Perjuangan chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri reportedly
asked party legislators at a meeting in PDI Perjuangan
headquarters on Friday to work out a compromise without going
through a vote.

"The nation has numerous problems that must be solved by
deliberation and not through voting. Whether we should consume
tempeh or tahu (soybean curd) should not be decided through
voting," Postdam Hutasoit quoted Megawati as saying.

According to Postdam, Megawati described the two scandals as
being part of thousands in the country, and said that the
legislators should put the national interest first when arriving
at their decision.

Separately, the head of the PDI Perjuangan faction in the
People's Consultative Assembly, Sophan Sophiaan, said that a
separate team to formulate the party's stance on the findings of
the special committee had been set up.

When asked, he denied the suggestion that the team had been
set up because the executive board no longer trusted its
representatives on the committee.

"No, no, it doesn't mean we don't trust them. We just feel
they've been involved for too long with the special committee...
In an effort to gain an objective view, we thought it was
necessary to set up the team," Sophan said.

Syamsul Muarif, chairman of the Golkar Party faction, said his
faction would call for court proceedings if the President was
found to be involved in scandals by the special committee.

"That's our faction's political stance as recommended by the
faction meeting today," he said.

Bachtiar Chamsyah, a member of the United Development Party
(PPP) faction, reiterated that his faction has supported a
thorough investigation into the two scandals.

"Let say its white if it's white, and black if it's black," he
remarked.

Abdul Khaliq Achmad, secretary of Abdurrahman's National
Awakening Party (PKB) faction, said his faction was fighting an
all out battle to prevent the special committee from specifically
fingering the President in its report, as such an eventuality
would jeopardize national unity.

"If the special committee declares the President guilty in the
scandals, it has actually usurped the role of the courts as, in
fact, the Bulog scandal is still being tried by the courts," he
said.

Khalig Achmad warned that such a report would give rise to new
tensions, this time between the legislature and the judiciary,
along with terrible societal conflict at the grassroots level.
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