House legislators grill Rini over Sukhoi deal
Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The House of Representatives committee of inquiry into alleged procedural violations in the purchase of four Sukhoi jet fighters quizzed Minister of Trade Rini M.S. Suwandi during a closed-door hearing that lasted until midnight on Monday.
A number of committee members described the hearing as being akin to the trial of the trade minister, who had shunned the committee's summons to clarify the processes by which the warplanes were purchased in July.
"We expect that Rini will admit during this hearing that the Sukhoi jets' purchase violated the law," Effendy Choirie of the National Awakening Party (PKB) faction said on the sidelines of the hearing.
The committee had arranged the hearing for Monday morning, but it was delayed following a debate over the unexpected presence of foreign minister Hassan Wirayuda and Indonesian Military (TNI) chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto, who were ordered by President Megawati Soekarnoputri on Saturday to accompany Rini during the hearing.
Rini, whom legislators believe to be the architect of the countertrade purchase of two Sukhoi SU-30 MKs, two Sukhoi SU-27 SKs, and two MI-35 assault helicopters, worth a total of US$192.6 million, had avoided a House summons twice.
The committee eventually opened the hearing at around 8:20 p.m. and allowed Endriartono, State Minister for Research and Technology Hatta Radjasa, and Hassan, who had rushed back from Yogyakarta to be there, to attend the session.
The factions on the committee reached a last-ditch compromise based on the condition that Rini's colleagues would be prohibited from answering any questions raised by committee members.
State Logistics Agency (Bulog) chief Widjanarko Puspoyo was also seen in the government team, but he was denied entry to the meeting room. He was instead ushered to the defense commission's VIP room.
Golkar legislator Yasril Ananta Baharuddin said that unlike in other hearings, lawmakers known to not be particularly active bombarded Rini with questions.
"If she (Rini) had been alone, she would probably have burst into tears," Yasril said.
Some commission members had disclosed that the House inquiry committee would recommend the dismissal of Rini for playing the key role in the Sukhoi purchase, which should have been the responsibility of the defense minister according to the 2001 law on defense.
Other legislators said they planned to exercise their right of interpellation and ask the President to clarify the matter following the questioning of Rini. This, they said, could lead to a House decision to bring the Sukhoi issue to the newly- established Constitutional Court on the grounds that the President had committed wrongdoing.
The purchase of the Sukhois was made last April during a visit by President Megawati to Moscow. The countertrade deal involved the Indonesian Military (TNI) as the end-user and Bulog as the buyer.
Meanwhile, Antara reported that two Sukhoi SU-30 MKs had arrived at the Iswahyudi Air Base in Maospati, East Java.
Like the two Sukhoi SU-27 SKs that arrived on Aug. 27, the Russian warplanes were transported to Indonesia by Antonov cargo planes.