Megawati calls on legislators to report their wealth

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.