'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".