Legislators divided on Akbar inquiry
Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
House Speaker Akbar Tanjung's status as suspect in a Rp 40 billion corruption case sparked a lively debate among legislators on Tuesday on whether their plan to establish a special investigative team (Pansus) was still relevant.
Legislators from major political parties were split on the issue. This could mean that a debate scheduled for Jan. 21 to decide the issue might be abandoned yet again.
Senior legislator from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) Soetardjo Soerjogoeritno maintained that the investigation team was still required.
"We hope an inquiry team will be set up on that day," said Soetardjo, a deputy House speaker, who is known to have ambitions of replacing Akbar should the scandal force him to resign.
The Attorney General's Office declared Akbar, who is also Golkar Party chairman, a suspect for allegedly siphoning off money from the State Logistics Agency (Bulog) to Golkar while he served as state/Cabinet secretary in 1999.
However, President Megawati Soekarnoputri's husband Taufik Kiemas, who also serves as a PDI Perjuangan legislator, strongly opposed the investigation team plan. He argued that the special team was irrelevant after Akbar had been named a suspect.
Taufik, perceived as the most powerful person in PDI Perjuangan, called on fellow legislators to drop their support for the plan.
Taufik's objection is believed to be connected with his clandestine meeting with Akbar on Oct. 23, 2001, a few days after 50 legislators had submitted a petition for the creation of an investigative team.
PDI Perjuangan, the largest faction in the House, led by Megawati, and the fourth-largest, the National Awakening Party (PKB), are the most enthusiastic about forming the team.
PKB Secretary Amin Said Husni insisted on Monday that a special team would still be needed to strengthen the similar investigation by the Attorney General's Office.
Golkar, former president Soeharto's political vehicle, which enabled him to maintain his autocratic rule for 32 years, has been striving to block the move.
Immediately after Akbar was declared a suspect on Monday, members of the Golkar faction convened to discuss countermeasures.
Golkar faction chairman Marzuki Achmad said his party rejected the possible investigation of Akbar by legislators on the grounds that the case was being handled by the Attorney General's Office.
"Akbar's status as suspect shows that legal processing at the Attorney General's Office is duly underway," Marzuki added.
Golkar, which has 120 seats in the House, managed to delay the creation of a special investigation team three times last year by exploiting loopholes in the House's internal rules.
Opposition also came from Tosari Wijaya, another deputy House speaker, from the United Development Party (PPP). He argued that the case should be entrusted to the Attorney General's Office.
"It will not be relevant because even if the special team managed to investigate the scandal, it would refer its recommendations to the Attorney General's Office anyway," Tosari said.
Chronology of Golkar's resistance
Oct. 23, 2001: Akbar meets Taufik Kiemas, asking PDI Perjuangan legislators not to support the Pansus plan.
Nov. 22, 2001: Golkar legislators claim they have yet to receive copies of the proposal, prompting the Consultative Body (Bamus) to adjourn its meeting until Nov. 28.
Nov. 28, 2001: Golkar transforms the meeting into a forum for debate on the House's internal regulations on Bamus membership. The meeting is again postponed to Dec. 6.
Dec. 6, 2001: Golkar refuses to include the proposal on the agenda to be discussed at a plenary meeting.
Dec. 10, 2001: The House steering committee agrees that the proposal will be discussed at a plenary meeting scheduled for Jan. 21, to decide whether to approve or reject the establishment of Pansus.