House set to accept investigation result
JAKARTA (JP): The House of Representatives looks set to accept the result of the investigation into the Bulog and Brunei financial scandals but remained undecided on recommendations regarding President Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid's alleged involvement in the scams.
Chief of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) faction Arifin Panigoro said after a meeting with party chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri on Wednesday night the faction would fully endorse the report of the special committee.
He stopped short of revealing what his faction would propose in the House plenary session on Thursday, except for a legal process based on the investigation results to confirm whether the President was implicated in the scams.
A reliable source at PDI Perjuangan said, however, the 153- member faction would recommend that the House issue a memorandum to the President.
According to the Constitution, the memorandum serves notice to the president to respond within three months. If the notice is unheeded, the House can issue a second notice and give him another 30 days to act and if this notice is also ignored the House can ask the highest legislative body, the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) to call a special session to impeach the president.
Another PDI Perjuangan legislator, Sophan Sophiaan, said all the faction members were sworn during a meeting later in the day to keep the decision secret until Thursday.
"Inside the special committee there were 14 PDI Perjuangan representatives and they participated in the conclusion. The party's policy will not go far from what they have decided," Sophaan told The Jakarta Post.
Earlier in the morning, Arifin told an alliance of student organizations at the House that an eight-member team would deliberate with Megawati to determine the faction's stance.
Included in the team were Julius Usman, Didi Supriyanto, Jacob Tobing, Tarto Sudiro, Ria Latifa and Sukowaluyo.
The special committee concluded in its 34-page report that the President allegedly played a role in the withdrawal and disbursement of the Rp 35 billion (US$3.9 million) funds from the employee foundation of the National Logistics Agency (Bulog).
It also concluded that Abdurrahman had been inconsistent in explaining to the public about the $2 million donation from the sultan of Brunei.
Syamsul Muarif, chairman of the 120-member Golkar Party faction at the House, hinted that the investigation result would gain support from his faction.
"Our faction is still meeting to formulate its political stance. Our position will be similar to other factions but we have yet to decide what action we will recommend to the House," he said on Wednesday night.
Golkar Party chairman Akbar Tandjung also attended the meeting, he added.
The 58-member United Development Party (PPP) faction asserted that it would endorse the report and recommend the House take action against the President.
"The special committee's report is OK and we are committed to fighting against corruption in the reform era. The present regime is similar to former president Soeharto's in regard to corrupt, collusive and nepotistic practices," Ali Marwan Hanan, chairman of the PPP faction said.
Another member of PPP who asked for anonymity said his faction would recommend a special session of MPR to impeach the President.
The source said his faction had lobbied the Reform and Crescent Star Party (PBB) factions to fight for the President's resignation.
The three parties join a loose alliance of eight factions called Axis Force that played a crucial role in lifting Gus Dur to the presidency in October 1999.
The 51-member National Awakening Party (PKB) faction said it would protest the plenary session's single agenda because in the last plenary session on Monday all factions had agreed to look into the special committee's procedural faults made during the investigation.
Abdul Khaliq Achmad, secretary of the PKB faction, implied his faction would turn down the investigation's result.
Ali Masjkur Musa, another member of the faction, added that the investigation result could be used as basis for either a political decision or legal measures against the President.
"We have to make a clear distinction between the legal and political aspects of the two cases. And we will again assert that there have been procedural defects in the investigation process," he said.
The 41-member Reform faction will also accept the report of the special committee and will demand that the House issue a strong warning to the President in the form of memorandum that could eventually lead to the impeachment process.
"The report is acceptable and we will urge the House to issue a memorandum that could lead to a special session (of MPR)," Hatta Radjasa, chairman of the Reform faction, told The Jakarta Post by telephone. (team)