House leaders to discuss Akbar's fate on Tuesday

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.