'How can House be led by a convicted criminal?'

'How can House be led by a convicted criminal?'

Muhammad Nafik and Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post,
Jakarta

Legislators and observers urged convicted corrupter Akbar
Tandjung on Thursday to resign from his post as speaker of the
House of Representatives (DPR), arguing that it was inappropriate
for the respected institution to be chaired by a convicted
criminal.

House deputy speaker Soetardjo Soerjogoeritno of President
Megawati Soekarnoputri's Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle
(PDI Perjuangan) said that Akbar's conviction rendered him
ineligible to chair the legislative body.

PDI Perjuangan is the biggest faction in the House with 153
members.

Legislator Kholil Bisri of the National Awakening Party (PKB)
put the absurdity of the situation that Indonesia now faces into
words.

"He should step down now! It is utterly ridiculous for the
House to be chaired by a criminal," Kholil exclaimed.

The Central Jakarta District Court declared Akbar guilty of
corruption on Wednesday and sentenced him to three years in jail,
making him the highest public official to be tried and convicted
for corruption. Akbar appealed the sentence.

Akbar said Wednesday that he would not resign from his post as
House Speaker, pending the appeal.

Akbar was found guilty of misappropriating state funds. Many
observers speculate that the money was used to finance Golkar's
1999 election activities.

Corruption is a crime that carries a prison sentence of up to
20 years. Prosecutors asked for four.

People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) deputy speaker Sutjipto
of PDI Perjuangan seemed surprised that Akbar himself could not
see why he should step down.

"How could he claim that he is innocent (and should stay on at
the DPR) when the judges have found him guilty? The verdict has
been delivered... sounds to me like he is no longer innocent,"
Sutjipto said.

Prominent Muslim academic Azyumardi Azra, who is also Rector
of the Jakarta-based Indonesian Islamic University (UIN), urged
Akbar to set a good example for the people by resigning from his
post.

"As a high-ranking official, Akbar has to set a good example
for the people by relinquishing his top post in the House. It's
part of political ethics," he argued.

The House, he said, needs to have integrity in every way
especially from the top man. "We should not allow our high
legislative institution to be chaired by a criminal," he added.

Slamet Rahardjo, dean of the law department at Tanjungpura
University in West Kalimantan, called on the House speaker to
take a leave and focus on the appeal.

Kholil urged the House to soon set up a disciplinary council
to determine whether Akbar should be maintained as the speaker or
not.

Azyumardi shared Kholil's opinion, saying that a council would
put pressure on convicted legislators, including Akbar, to
surrender their seats.

Some legislators, however, were more reserved in calling for
Akbar's ouster, saying that the House's code of conduct did not
address the specific issue of taking Bulog money on the pretext
of using it for the poor and then using it for another purpose.

PKB legislator Rodjil Gufron said that based on prevailing
laws and political alignments, there was virtually no legal way
to remove Akbar, just to hope that he felt it a moral obligation
to resign.

"Individually, we want to replace our convicted speaker, but
we cannot find a regulation that fits his exact case.
Furthermore, there are some powerful political forces with a
vested interest in keeping Akbar as House speaker," he admitted.

Golkar, the second biggest faction in the House with 120
representatives, played a pivotal role in catapulting Megawati
Soekarnoputri into the presidency in July 2001, mostly, it was
surmised because her successor, Abdurrahman 'Gus Dur' Wahid, was
getting too tough on corruptors for their liking. Now Golkar and
PDI Perjuangan form a nearly impenetrable power base in the
"rainbow coalition".