Legislators seek Akbar's ouster

Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Following the declaration by the Attorney General that House Speaker Akbar Tandjung is indeed a suspect in a financial scandal involving State Logistics Agency (Bulog), legislators are now moving to set up a Disciplinary Committee to determine whether or not Akbar still has the moral right to lead the House of Representatives.

Deputy House Speaker Soetardjo Soerjogoeritno of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), the biggest faction in the House with 153 representatives, said here on Monday that House leaders would soon summon all faction chairpersons to discuss the possibility of creating a House Committee to discuss the matter.

"The Committee will assess Akbar's position in the scandal. If Akbar is deemed to have lost his credibility and the moral mandate to lead the House, he would be forced to vacate his post as House Speaker," Soetarjo said.

House deputy speaker from the National Awakening Party (PKB) Muhaimin Iskandar also called for the establishment of a Committee to evaluate Akbar's position in the House.

"We need to have a Committee to evaluate Akbar's status as a suspect in the Bulog scandal," Muhaimin said.

PKB Legislator Chatibul Umam Wiranu urged Akbar to simply quit his post as soon as possible, with or without a Committee as he has lost the integrity and credibility to lead the House.

Efforts to remove Abkar from his post, however, will surely meet strong resistance from the Golkar Party, which Akbar chairs.

Golkar Faction Chairman Marzuki Achmad voiced his objection to the plan yesterday, claiming that removing Akbar from the top legislative post was totally irrelevant.

"There is no reason or urgency to set up a Disciplinary Committee to assess Akbar's credibility to lead the House," Marzuki claimed on Monday.

Article 57 of the House Internal Regulations stipulates a Disciplinary Committee is tasked with investigating alleged violations by legislators of the House code of ethics, membership requirements or the legislators' pledge.

The Attorney General's Office declared Akbar a suspect on Monday after investigating his involvement in an alleged illegal disbursement of Rp 40 billion of Bulog funds when he was Minister/State Secretary in 1999.

Akbar has maintained his innocence in the scandal, arguing that the money had been channeled to a foundation responsible for the distribution of food aid packages for the poor, which was part of the government's social safety net program.

Marzuki told reporters on Monday that the declaration of Akbar as a suspect proved that the legal process has been working at the Attorney General's Office.

He expressed the hope that the legal process would be fair and without any political interference.

"We also want all parties to uphold the principle of a presumption of innocence," he said.

Meanwhile, political analyst from the University of Indonesia Syamsuddin Haris urged Akbar to quit his post, saying that the Golkar chairman had lost his credibility to lead the institution.

"He does not deserve the job anymore and it is unethical if he (Akbar) remains as House Speaker," Syamsuddin was quoted by Antara as saying.

Coordinator of Government Watch Farid R. Faqih aired similar views, urging Akbar to step down immediately.

"Now that he has been declared a suspect, he should resign or at least be suspended until the legal process is complete," Farid said.