Megawati Soekarnoputri answers police summons
JAKARTA (JP): Cheered by more than 1,000 supporters, ousted leader of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) Megawati Soekarnoputri answered a police summons yesterday to appear as a witness in the Haryanto Taslam case.
Dressed in a white shirt and red vest and skirt, Megawati arrived at the South Jakarta police precinct at 11 a.m in a dark- red Pajero jeep.
Sixty lawyers led by R.O. Tambunan accompanied her in a motorcade of 13 other cars.
Megawati waved to the supporters and posed for photographers with her lawyers before entering the police building for questioning over what police allege was an "illegal political meeting" held in her mansion Jan. 10.
She reappeared four and a half hours later.
Tambunan, who led the Public Defenders for Indonesian Democracy (TPDI) team, told a press conference at Megawati's house in South Jakarta after the interrogation that Megawati was asked 50 questions.
He said she was questioned "about the party's anniversary celebration held in her house and who was responsible for the event".
"Megawati managed to answer well all the police questions, which I think were not principled at all," Tambunan said.
Megawati hosted the gathering as her rival, government-backed chairman Soerjadi, led an officially recognized party celebration in Sulawesi.
Megawati loyalist Haryanto Taslam organized the allegedly illegal celebration that he claimed was a Ramadhan breaking-of- the-fast gathering.
Tambunan said that during the questioning Megawati was accompanied by five lawyers; himself, Petrus Selestinus, Erick S. Paat, Dwi Ria Latifah, and Erlina R. Tambunan.
He said the lawyers engaged in a "fierce debate" with the four-member investigating team about the "flawed" procedures used by the police to summon Megawati.
"We told them that as a member of the country's respected House of Representatives, Megawati should have received a letter authorizing the interrogation signed by President Soeharto himself, instead of just by Minister/State Secretary Moerdiono," he said.
Tambunan said the TPDI had lodged a lawsuit with the Jakarta State Administrative Court against President Soeharto, Moerdiono, Attorney General Singgih, and South Jakarta Police Precinct Chief Lt. Col Sisno Adiwinoto for the alleged "state procedures violations".
Under Indonesian law, the President must give police permission to question a member of the House of Representatives.
"But because of Ibu Megawati's generosity, she was willing to comply with what the investigators wanted," Tambunan told the press.
"However, we called on them (the authorities) not to misinterpret her generosity and compassion," he quipped.
Tambunan said PDI's anniversary celebration, which according to Megawati "was the party's tradition", had not violated any law.
"What the police are using to nail Megawati is a rotten law," Tambunan said, referring to Law No. 5/1963 stated by the police in the summons.
The law, he said, was based on an already-revoked decree of the Provisional People's Consultative Assembly made in the late Sukarno's era of "guided democracy".
Tambunan said Megawati was due to appear again at the police precinct on March 3 for more questioning. Her husband, Taufik Kiemas, is due to be questioned further on Feb. 27.
Hundreds of supporters followed Megawati from the police precinct to her house, where she gave a press conference.
Megawati called on her followers to wear red-and-white at the next police questioning.
"Red and white are the colors our national flag, the symbol that ties the whole nation together," she said to her cheering supporters.
Earlier at the South Jakarta Police Precinct, Sisno repeated his statement made Monday that the summonses did not make reference to Haryanto Taslam and that the police were making general inquiries.
Megawati's lawyers, showing reporters the summons at the press conference, refuted Sisno's statement, saying "Haryanto's name is written in the summonses". (08)