House to summon state secretary over presidential donation

Kurniawan Hari and Anastashya Emmanuelle, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

House of Representatives Commission I will seek an explanation from State Secretary Bambang Kesowo over Rp 30 billion in presidential aid passed to the Indonesian Military (TNI) and the National Police.

Ibrahim Ambong, who chairs the commission, which oversees security and political affairs, said on Tuesday that the hearing with Bambang had been arranged to take place as soon as the House recess ended in May.

"Pak Bambang has agreed with this schedule," Ibrahim said.

President Megawati Soekarnoputri provided a Rp 30 billion donation using nonbudgetary funds, known as Banpres, to rehabilitate housing occupied by TNI families and National Police rank and file members in February. Extrabudgetary expenditure is no longer allowed in the country.

A motion has been lodged by 28 legislators from different factions to summon the President to clarify the issue, but Megawati has suggested that it be discussed in a hearing with the House commission.

Ambong said, during the proposed hearing with Bambang, that legislators would question the source of the funds and its management.

"I think we can trace those funds, whether they came from business or the state companies," he added.

Meanwhile, one of those supporting the interpellation motion, Afni Achmad, said that the hearing with Bambang would not stop the legislators from pressing ahead with their demand for a House inquiry into the donation.

"We want transparency concerning the source and the management of the Banpres funds," he said.

Chairman of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) Roy B. Janis, said that the party would wait until the House reconvened after its recess to discuss the much- disputed Banpres funds.

According to Roy, Megawati, who also chairs the party, had ordered an audit of the Banpres funds as soon as she assumed power in July last year. The audit was intended to reveal the exact amount of the funds.

"Therefore, we suggest that an investigation of presidents who preceded Megawati should be carried out to trace the approximately Rp 1 trillion that appears to have gone missing, as according to the State Secretary/Cabinet Secretary Bambang Kesowo the Banpres total was only Rp 330 billion," Roy said after a party regular meeting on Tuesday.