House set to accept investigation result

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)