Megawati rules out deal on Akbar

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

President Megawati Soekarnoputri's Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) has ruled out any back-room deal to rescue Golkar Party Chairman Akbar Tandjung from legal troubles that could cost him his political career.

A PDI Perjuangan legislator Jakob Tobing told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday that Megawati asserted her party's position during an unscheduled meeting with several key Cabinet ministers at her residence in Central Jakarta overnight.

Jakob refused to identify the ministers.

"During the meeting the President revealed PDI Perjuangan's commitment to fighting corruption in connection with the latest State Logistics Agency (Bulog) scandal. We are seeking a thorough investigation into the case," he said.

He said the party's faction at the House of Representatives will not support the proposed establishment of a special committee to investigate the scandal unless the legal process being conducted by the Attorney General's Office proceeds too slowly.

Speculation has been rife that Megawati's government was considering a compromise with Akbar over his alleged role in the misuse of Rp 40 billion Bulog fund after the President met the Golkar chairman on Saturday.

Speaking after the meeting between the chiefs of the country's two largest parties, Akbar said he appealed to Megawati to maintain cooperation between Golkar and PDI Perjuangan.

The Attorney General's Office has named Akbar a suspect in the alleged scam which took place in 1999 when Akbar was the minister/state secretary. The decision has put Akbar's position as the House of Representatives Speaker in limbo.

The 500-member House will vote next Monday on whether to hold a special committee to investigate Akbar's role. A similar committee led to Abdurrahman Wahid's ouster from presidency last year.

Megawati presided over a regular party meeting on Tuesday, during which, she outlined the party's stance in the case involving Akbar.

PDI Perjuangan deputy chairman Roy BB Janis told reporters after the meeting that the party would not maintain ties with other political groups at the expense of the reform movement, which stipulates the supremacy of law and a fight against corruption, collusion and nepotism.

"It (the cooperation) is not aimed at undermining the reform spirit or making up the law in order to change something black into white or vise versa," Roy said.

Although cracks are found in the coalition between Golkar and PDI Perjuangan, Roy denied speculation that Golkar would abandon Megawati's Cabinet.

"There's no Golkar ministers or PDI Perjuangan ministers in the Cabinet. They are all members of the Gotong Royong Cabinet," Roy said.

Contradictory to Akbar's remarks on the significance of the weekend meeting with Megawati, Roy said it was an informal conversation between the President and House Speaker.

However, Roy indicated that his faction, the largest in the House, had backed down from its initial position of demanding the establishment of the special committee to investigate Akbar.

"This is a highly dynamic political process... we continue to evaluate the ongoing developments and will only announce our stance on the committee during the House plenary session on Jan. 21," Roy said.

The establishment of the committee was proposed by 50 legislators in October last year, mostly by members of the National Awakening Party and PDI Perjuangan.

People's Consultative Assembly Speaker Amien Rais also warned PDI Perjuangan against sacrificing the due process of law in the Akbar case for the sake of its ties with Golkar, the ruling party during the authoritarian regime of Soeharto.

"I welcome the cooperation between the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle and Golkar, and other parties as well. But please, don't cooperate to conceal corruption," Amien told the press after meeting U.S. Congressmen at his office on Tuesday.

Golkar has stepped up its lobbying of other political parties since Akbar was named a suspect in the high profile case.

Besides soliciting support from other parties, the party is also intensifying efforts to uphold solidity among its members.

Golkar also turned up the pressure against the government, explicitly criticizing the government from all corners. However, Akbar repeatedly denied allegations that the criticisms were a retaliation move to disgrace the president.

On Tuesday evening, Golkar top executives gathered at the party's headquarters in Slipi, West Jakarta. Senior member AA Baramuli, who recently called for Akbar's resignation over the Bulog scam, was among attendants of the meeting, which was presided over by Akbar.