PAN faction to submit wealth reports

PAN faction to submit wealth reports

JAKARTA (JP): Yielding to public pressures, the National
Mandate Party's (PAN) faction at the City Council decided on
Tuesday to soon submit wealth reports of its 13 members to the
Public Servants' Wealth Auditing Commission (KPKPN).

The decision was made after the faction members met party
deputy chairman A.M Fatwa at the City Council building on Jl.
Kebon Sirih, Central Jakarta.

"The party's central board has instructed all its councillors
across the country to submit their wealth reports to the
commission," Fatwa, who is also a deputy speaker of the House of
Representatives, told reporters.

He said that councillors are also public servants who are
obliged to submit their wealth reports to the commission.

PAN councillor Agus Darmawan admitted that the faction members
had earlier planned to submit their wealth reports, but they
postponed it as a gesture of solidarity, since other factions in
the council had refused to submit theirs.

"After the party's instruction, and with mounting public
pressure, we could no longer maintain such solidarity among our
councillors," Agus said.

He said his faction would not wait for the establishment of
the commission's city chapter (KPKPD) to submit its reports, as
stated by other factions.

He revealed that his faction would submit its wealth reports
within the next three weeks, saying that the time was needed to
complete the documentation.

"We need two weeks to complete the information, such as the
wealth of our family, wife and children," Agus said.

Separately, City Council chairman Edy Waluyo seemed reluctant
to comment on the PAN faction's decision to report its wealth.

Asked whether the faction had betrayed its agreement not to
submit the reports, Edy replied, "That's its decision. I will ask
for clarification first."

Edy, who is also chairman of the Indonesian Councils
Association, repeatedly said the decision not to submit the
wealth reports had been agreed by councils across the country.

The councils held the opinion that councillors, according to
the law, are not government officials.

They also demanded that the city chapter of the wealth audit
commission (KPKPD) should be established first, saying that they
would submit their reports to KPKPD.

The factions of the United Development Party (PPP) and the
Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) earlier
decided that they would not instruct their members to submit
wealth reports.

"Even if I am arrested by the police or the prosecutor's
office, I will not submit my wealth report," PPP's city chapter
chairman and Council deputy chairman Djafar Badjeber said.

The wealth audit commission recently signed a cooperation
agreement with the National Police and the Attorney General's
Office to investigate those who refused to submit their reports,
or to examine their wealth reports. (jun)