Legislators may suffer from political backtrack

A'an Suryana and Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Legislators from PDI-Perjuangan may backtrack on the political party's previous stance concerning the establishment of a special committee to probe the Rp 40 billion Bulog scam implicating House Speaker and Golkar Party chairman Akbar Tandjung.

PDI Perjuangan (Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle) legislators Firman Jaya Daeli and Dwi Ria Latifa said that the final decision over its stance on the establishment of a House of Representatives special committee (Pansus) was in the hands of the party's central board.

"We stick to our stance that the Pansus should be established. However, if the party says that there must be no Pansus, we will support the party's stance," Firman said on Wednesday.

Firman said there had been no request from the party's chairwoman, President Megawati Soekarnoputri, to resist the establishment of the committee.

The issue has become a hot topic with Akbar facing increasing public pressure to stand down, particularly after the Attorney General's Office declared him a suspect early this month.

Asked why legislators dared to go against public expectation, Firman said: "Our party has a mechanism. We are allowed to speak freely, take a different stance, but once a collective decision is made, we should heed the collective decision."

Separately, Dwi Ria Latifa, expressed a similar sentiment.

"Our final stance will be delivered in the faction's plenary session sometime in the near future," she said.

The House is set to meet on Thursday to set a date for the plenary session.

Firman and Ria are two of 20 legislators from various parties who have proposed the establishment of the committee.

PDI-Perjuangan has been split with internal power plays over the issue with one camp led by Arifin Panigoro opposing to the establishment while the other, led by Roy B.B Janis, supporting it.

Roy's camp has said that without the committee, the legal process being carried out by the Attorney General's Office would not be effective, since "that it is not transparent and will take a long time".

Being the largest faction in the House, PDI-Perjuangan's stance over the issue is crucial.

Prominent members of the party, however, are backing Arifin.

"So long as the legal process is carried out smoothly, we do not see yet any urgency to form a Pansus in the House," PDI-P secretary general Sutjipto on Wednesday.

Sutjipto's deputy Pramono Anung Wibowo said the establishment of the committee was not urgent.

"The House's Commission II could form an independent Commission to oversee the investigation. If this step fails, we may consider forming a Pansus," he said referring to the commission dealing with the Bulog case.

Firman said that Megawati had yet to decide her stance on the case. He rejected allegations that he had succumbed to pressures from certain people within the party.

"There is no pressure for us to give up. The pressure clearly comes from Golkar," he said.

It is understood that Golkar has pressured other parties to kill the idea of setting up the committee.

Golkar leaders claimed that their lobbying efforts have had "satisfying results".