Megawati calls on legislators to report their wealth

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri has called on the party's legislators who have not submitted their wealth report to do so immediately.

Trying to put an end to the controversy over the obligation of legislators to report their wealth, Megawati, who is also the President, urged the legislators to comply with the regulation to prove their commitment to the eradication of corruption.

"It is set out in existing law that the legislators must present their wealth report to KPKPN," Megawati said, as quoted by party secretary general Soetjipto on Tuesday.

She was referring to the Public Servants' Wealth Audit Commission (KPKPN), whose function is to audit the wealth of 50,000 state officials in the executive, legislature and judiciary across the country.

Speaking to reporters after the party's weekly meeting presided over by Megawati, Soetjipto underlined that there was no excuse for legislators to evade the obligation.

KPKPN made public last week the names of 155 House of Representatives and People's Consultative Assembly legislators who had not reported their wealth. PDI Perjuangan topped the list of defiant legislators, with 47 members.

The commission held a meeting with executives of the party's faction in the House on Monday regarding the problem. During the meeting, KPKPN officials gave legislators until the end of this month to report their wealth otherwise they would take legal action.

The record has further tainted the image of the country's largest party and raised public doubts over the party's real commitment to fighting corruption.

Many excuses were made by legislators, ranging from difficulty in completing the reports to claims that their wealth was a private matter.

Some legislators have suggested that the requirement apply only to those who are allegedly involved in graft.

"The party understands that it is difficult to complete the form. I had to do it twice. But the regulation is there and we have to comply with it," Soetjipto remarked.

He also emphasized that there should be a common awareness by legislators to fulfill their obligation to report their wealth.

When asked whether PDI Perjuangan would punish legislators who failed to meet the new deadline for the submission of wealth reports, Soetjipto said the party would leave it to the existing regulations.

The law did not give KPKPN the power to take punitive measures against defiant state officials, except for calling for moral sanctions.