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)