Legislator faces expulsion after rejecting 'bribe'

Legislator faces expulsion after rejecting 'bribe'

Yongker Rumthe
The Jakarta Post
Manado

Ang Marentek, a Golkar Faction budget committee member in the
North Sulawesi Provincial Legislature, has refused to accept what
he termed a mysterious payment of Rp 30 million, arguing that the
money was of unclear provenance.

"I have flatly refused to accept the money offered during
faction and budget meetings because the source of the money is
not clear. It is high time for us to tell the truth. I am an old
man and I have to set a good example to the public," Marentek
said here on Tuesday.

Marentek revealed that the first Rp 30 million out of a sum of
Rp 100 million promised to each legislator was paid out last
week, and a number of councillors were currently pressing the
budget committee to disburse another Rp 55 million prior to a
trip they plan to make to a number of European countries. He
added the rest was to be disbursed soon afterward.

"Each House member is to receive Rp 100 million before they
tour Europe plus another Rp 40 million to cover the cost of each
member's overseas travel," he disclosed.

Marentek, known for his commitment to fighting bribery, is now
under the threat of being recalled and expelled from the budget
committee.

Council Speaker Syachrial Damapolii said he did not want to
comment on the stance taken by Marentek, but added that the funds
were provided for in the budget.

"It is misleading for him to call the funds mysterious because
all the budget allocations are clearly set out," he said without
elaborating on the source of the money.

Syachrial admitted that he, along with other council members,
was scheduled to leave for the Netherlands, France and Brussels
to explore the possibility of attracting new investors to North
Sulawesi from those countries.