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)