House leaders strongly deny bribery charges
House leaders strongly deny bribery charges
JAKARTA (JP): House of Representatives members vowed yesterday
to avoid leeway that might lead to speculation that they receive
bribes, including rejecting in the future any offer to deliberate
bills at expensive hotels.
Syamsul Mu'arif of Golkar and Hamzah Haz of the United
Development Party (PPP) said separately that hotels are costly
and that legislators should in the future stay at the House
building when deliberating bills.
The legislators were responding to growing speculation that
the Ministry of Manpower had requested and subsequently allocated
Rp 7.1 billion (US$2.15 million) of the state-owned workers'
social insurance company PT Jamsostek's money for 44 legislators
deliberating the manpower bill earlier this year.
The legislators said they had not seen any evidence of
legislators of the previous House, some of whom are also serving
in the current House, taking bribes when deliberating the
manpower bill.
They agreed, however, that inefficiency was to blame for a
huge budget earmarked by the government for the deliberation of
the government-sponsored bill with the House.
Chief of the dominant Golkar faction in the House, Theo
Sambuaga, said none of its legislators who took part in the
manpower bill deliberation received extra money from the ministry
to pass the bill.
The 1992/1997 House, whose term ended on Sept. 30, endorsed
the bill on Sept. 11 after two months of deliberation. The
current House members began serving on Oct. 1.
"The government has always set a certain amount of budget for
a bill deliberation in the House. It includes expenses for
facilities," Theo said during a break in a People's Consultative
Assembly session.
Syamsul, who is secretary of the Golkar faction, said the
government might have spent a great deal of money because the
House and the government agreed to move venues for deliberation
from the House to hotels.
"It's not our business. But in the future, Golkar will reject
any offer to deliberate a bill in a hotel," Syamsul said.
Villa
Hamzah Haz, chairman of the PPP faction at the House,
dismissed the speculation of bribery, but supported Golkar's plan
to urge the government to stay in the House building during a
bill deliberation.
"There should be no more bill deliberations outside the House
building, because they cost too much. I'd rather use the House's
villa in Bogor (West Java) if we cannot avoid going out of this
building," he said.
He said a legislator usually received a Rp 750,000 allowance
during a bill deliberation. The legislator is also paid overtime.
"The amount of the extra money must be reasonable. We ban
money which is intended to influence the House to agree to a
bill," he said during a break in a hearing with the Minister of
Finance Mar'ie Muhammad.
He said he would investigate the bribery allegation as soon as
possible.
Chief of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) faction Budi
Hardjono, who was among 44 legislators deliberating the manpower
bill, lashed out at the speculation.
"The (allegation) is totally untrue. Show me the invoice that
proves I have received money," he said.
He said the funds earmarked by Jamsostek were too much for a
bill deliberation.
He suggested the government and the House draw up together a
master list of bills to be deliberated in the House during the
next five years.
"The plan must follow priority order and include a schedule
and budget for a bill deliberation. The House must be involved in
the budget arrangement to avoid any unnecessary use of money," he
said.
Minister of Manpower Abdul Latief and the director of
Jamsostek have so far refused to comment about the speculation.
(amd)