House leaders to discuss Akbar's fate on Tuesday
Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Leaders of the House of Representatives (DPR) are set to hold a closed-door meeting on Tuesday to discuss whether House Speaker Akbar Tandjung, a suspect in a corruption case, should maintain his position until his term ends in 2004.
Deputy House Speaker Muhaimin Iskandar of the National Awakening Party (PKB) said on Monday that result of the meeting would be announced at a plenary meeting on Wednesday.
The House will go into a recess on March 28 and is scheduled to begin the next session on May 10.
"We will discuss that matter, because the detention of Akbar (at the Attorney General's Office) has stalled the performance of the House," Muhaimin told the press after presiding over a plenary meeting here on Monday.
"The official stand of the House leadership (on Akbar's case) will be announced during the closing of the third session on March 27," he said.
During the meeting, Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) legislator Panda Nababan asked for clarification on the leadership of the House following the detention of Akbar on March 7.
"Perhaps, the House leaders have talked about this issue. Please, give us information," said Panda.
Responding to Panda's query, Muhaimin said leaders of the House and faction members were scheduled to meet on Tuesday to discuss Akbar's fate as House speaker.
"If we don't discuss this issue, the problem will accumulate," Muhaimin added.
Akbar, who is also chairman of Golkar, the second biggest faction in the House, has been declared a suspect in a Rp 54.6 billion financial scandal involving the State Logistics Agency (Bulog). The case was heard for the first time on Monday at the Central Jakarta District Court. Akbar could face a life sentence if convicted.
Calls have mounted from the public for Akbar to resign as House speaker, or at least be suspended on the grounds that he has lost the moral authority to lead one of the country's highest institutions. The demands, however, have fallen on deaf ears as most legislators have thrown their support behind Akbar.
According to Muhaimin, almost half of the country's 500 legislators have urged Akbar to relinquish his post.
"I think the current status of Akbar has hindered the performance of the House, so I want him to be nonactive until a ruling is handed down from the court," he said.
Muhaimin's views appears to be a kind of political revenge because Akbar and his Golkar faction were instrumental in unseating president Abdurrahman Wahid, a founder of PKB, in July 2001.
Another deputy House speaker A.M. Fatwa insisted that there was no regulation whatsoever that could force Akbar to relinquish the top legislative post.
"There is no mechanism that can force Akbar to relinquish his post. I think, the leadership meeting on Tuesday is a routine meeting," Fatwa told the press after welcoming a Palestinian delegation from the Muslim World Study Center.
According to Fatwa, the meeting on Tuesday would only discuss the preparation of the regional visits by legislators during the recess period from March 29 through May 9.
In the meantime, chairman of the Crescent Star Party (PBB) faction Ahmad Sumargono said his faction would always refer to the existing regulations in dealing with the issue of Akbar's resignation.
The House's internal regulations stipulate that the leadership of the House is collective, implying that although Akbar is currently under detention his role as House speaker can be performed by his four deputies.