Legislators reluctant to question Akbar

Legislators reluctant to question Akbar

Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Fears that legislators in the House of Representatives would not
be serious about investigating corruption allegations against
House Speaker Akbar Tandjung became a reality on Monday, when
only 49 of the 500 House members showed up on time for the
plenary meeting convened to hear justifications offered by 50
legislators on the urgency of setting up an inquiry team to
investigate the Golkar chairman.

The poor showing, which clearly demonstrated the legislators'
reluctance to investigate Akbar, a suspect in a Rp 40 billion
financial scandal involving State Logistics Agency (Bulog),
prompted House Deputy Speaker Soetardjo Soerjogoeritno of the
Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) to delay
the plenary meeting for 30 minutes.

Monday's plenary meeting was originally scheduled to start at
9 a.m., but at 9:02 a.m., only 49 legislators were present in the
plenary hall.

When Soetardjo eventually opened the meeting at 9:30 a.m.,
only 254 legislators were around, barely enough for a quorum of
250, or half of the total 500 legislators in the House.

Speaking on behalf of the 50 legislators who filed the
petition to set up an inquiry team, Tari Siwi Utami of the
National Awakening Party said that an inquiry committee was
definitely needed to unravel the alleged misappropriation of the
Bulog money.

The 10-page explanation does not mention Akbar's name or other
figures who had been declared suspects in this scandal by the
Attorney General's Office. It only mentions former president B.J.
Habibie who ordered then Bulog chief Rahardi Ramelan to release
Rp 54.6 billion.

"The misappropriation allegedly involves former government
officials and businessmen, ignoring existing procedures and using
the social safety net program for justification," Tari said.

Rahardi, the prime suspect in the Rp 54.6 billion scandal,
alleged that Akbar received Rp 40 billion of the funds. Akbar
admitted "receiving" the funds, but insisted that the funds were
directly channeled to a little-known foundation.

While the meeting was going on in the plenary hall, dozens of
Akbar's supporters belonging to the Movement of Reform Fighters,
or Gempur, protested outside the legislative complex, rejecting
moves by House members to investigate Akbar.

At around 1:15 p.m., hundreds of students arrived at the front
gate of the compound, demanding House members to form a special
inquiry team.

The students also demanded that Golkar be disbanded.

"It is really shameful if Akbar, who has been clearly declared
a suspect in a corruption case, still remains the speaker of the
House of Representatives, a very respected institution. He should
have been removed and subjected to the legal process immediately
after he was declared a suspect," student leader Ahmad Muzakir
said.

Hundreds of students belonging to the Students Executive
Council from Java and Bali also expressed similar demands. The
students, who came from the University of Indonesia, the Jakarta
State University and the Bogor Agricultural Institute, said that
an inquiry team was required to fight against corruption.

Tari emphasized that the investigation in the House would be a
political process not a legal one. It is aimed at finding out
data, facts and the details of the corrupt practices in the
country.

She added that after the inquiry team was established its
findings would politically benefit the government of President
Megawati Soekarnoputri.

"The findings will give political support to the government,
especially to the apparatus in legal affairs for law
enforcement," Tari said.

Speaking to the press after the meeting, several legislators
gave a somewhat cool response to their peers' justification
speeches. They simply said they would monitor the legal process
currently proceeding at the Attorney General's Office.

Even though Akbar and other figures have been declared
suspects, it is no assurance that the case will proceed fairly.

"We all know that the Attorney General is appointed by Ibu
Megawati. It would be odd if she did not trust the Attorney
General," said Pramono Anung of the largest party in the House,
PDI Perjuangan.

PDI Perjuangan had been expected to fully support the inquiry
into the scandal, but it seems now as if it is favoring the legal
process at the Attorney General's Office.

Golkar's Priyo Budi Santoso, who rejected the plan, reiterated
that the plan to form an inquiry team was no longer relevant
because the case was currently being handled by the Attorney
General's Office.

"We will appeal to fellow legislators to review their
proposal," he said.

Alvin Lie, a Legislator from the Reform faction, meanwhile
said the process would take about one month, therefore he would
use the time monitoring the progress at the Attorney General's
Office.

"We have not yet made a final decision. We will follow the
process either at the House or at the Attorney General's Office,"
said Alvin, who was a chief figure in the inquiry team which
resulted in the ouster of president Abdurrahman Wahid.

The 10 factions in the House will later raise comments over
the explanation, but the exact schedule has not been determined
yet. According to Soetardjo, the steering committee will decide
the schedule on Thursday.