PDI-P to look into alleged bribery case
JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) is to investigate an alleged bribery case involving the party's outspoken legislator, Aberson Marle Sihaloho, an executive of the party said on Tuesday.
Karl Lukas Degey, the deputy chairman of PDI Perjuangan, said the party decided in a meeting on Tuesday to thoroughly investigate the case, which could tarnish the party's image.
"The party's executive board will seek clarification from Aberson on the case. Stern sanctions will be taken against him if he is found guilty of receiving a travel cheque from Anshari Ritonga, director general of the state budget at the Ministry of Finance," he told The Jakarta Post by telephone.
He said a clarification was needed to maintain the presumption of innocence.
The case rose to the surface on Monday when Sandi, a cleaning service worker at the House, found a travel cheque on Wednesday worth Rp 10 million (US$1,063) on the 8th floor, which is occupied by legislators from the PDI Perjuangan faction. The cheque was reportedly put in an envelope from Anshari Ritonga.
With the help of Totok, an employee of the PDI Perjuangan faction, Sandi reported his finding to Elly, Anshari's secretary, and gained confirmation that the travel cheque was earmarked for Aberson.
Aberson, a member of the House budget commission, which is deliberating the 2002 draft budget, denied having received the cheque from Anshari.
"Our commission, including me, has never received any gift from the government in conducting its tasks, including the deliberation of the draft budget," he said.
Asked about his comments on the finding and Elly's confirmation, Aberson conceded that Sandi met him last Friday to hand over the cheque but he rejected it and asked Sandi with the help of his driver to return it to Anshari.
"As a reward for Sandy's honesty, I awarded him Rp 200,000," he added.
Aberson, known as being vocal against the government's policies, denied the possibility that the case might be engineered by somebody to discredit him. "It is impossible that my colleagues engineered such a case," he said.
He admitted it had made him very uneasy and he wanted the case to be investigated thoroughly so as not to tarnish not only his reputation but also the image of PDI Perjuangan and of the House.
Hadiyanto, the finance ministry's spokesman, said in a statement on Monday evening that not a single official at the ministry ever handed over gifts in any form to House members.
Denny J.A., a political observer and coordinator of the legislature watch forum on private TV station Metro TV, said that if it proved to be true, the case reflected the House's poor image.
"Legislators must bear in mind that they toppled former president Abdurrahman Wahid for corruption cases," he said.
He called on the media and nongovernmental organizations to continue investigating the case to know whether all 50 members of the budget commission gained similar travel cheques from the government.
He acknowledged it was difficult to avoid collusive practices and the use of money politics in the House because of the absence of a code of ethics for legislators and the phasing-out of the recalling institution. (rms)