Memorandum to President unconstitutional: PKB

Memorandum to President unconstitutional: PKB

JAKARTA (JP): The National Awakening Party (PKB) faction
released on Friday a "white book" on their objections and the
alleged fallacies of the House of Representatives special
committee which investigated President Abdurrahman Wahid's
involvement in two financial scandals.

The 63-page book titled Menegakkan Kebenaran (Upholding the
Truth), documents the faction's belief that the investigation and
conclusion which led to a censure and memorandum against
Abdurrahman, is part of a larger conspiracy to topple the
President.

PKB chairman Taufikurrahman Saleh during the book launching
said there remains no shred of evidence implicating the President
in an abuse of power in the disbursement of Rp 35 billion in
funds from the National Logistics Agency (Bulog) foundation.

"The political plot became evident with the call of certain
factions for an expedited special session of the People's
Consultative Assembly to impeach the President," he said.

PKB members walked out and boycotted the House session which
decided to accept the results of the special committee probe into
the Bulog and Brunei scandals, with the only registered
objections into the investigation coming from the Love the Nation
Democratic Party (PDKB).

"Of course, the President did seek funds to help people in the
restive provinces of Aceh, Maluku and North Maluku, and was close
to Suwondo but this is not strong evidence that the President
violated the constitution and the Assembly decree on clean
governance," Taufikurrahman added.

The PKB faction has also filed a lawsuit at the Central
Jakarta district court against House Speaker Akbar Tandjung and
Bachtiar Chamsyah, former chairman of the special committee, over
the House's censure and memorandum.

Ali As'ad, another PKB faction member, said the issuance of
the memorandum was also against the House's internal rules.

"According to a 1978 Assembly decree, the House has the
authority to issue a memorandum to the president only if the
latter violates the constitution. The House also cannot issue a
warning to the president in the absence of a court decision
finding him guilty in the scandals," he said.

Separately Bachtiar Chamsyah remarked that the book could end
up being counterproductive to both PKB and Abdurrahman.

"They (PKB) can no longer deceive the people. Reading the
book, the people will come to know the President's wrongdoing,"
he said. (rms)