Sukhoi off radar screen: Chairman's trip more important

Sukhoi off radar screen: Chairman's trip more important

M. Taufiqurrahman, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The mysterious dealings behind the government's purchase of
Russian jet fighters are likely to remain in the dark, as the
House committee probing the controversial deal called off a last-
ditch effort to summon the trade minister -- allegedly because of
its chairman's travel plans.

Effendy Choirie, deputy chairman of the House of
Representatives (DPR) committee investigating the Sukhoi deal,
said the scheduled meeting with Minister of Industry and Trade
Rini M.S. Soewandi on Tuesday had been unilaterally canceled by
commission chairman Ibrahim Ambong.

"Pak Ambong notified other members in the commission to
adjourn the hearing. He cannot preside the hearing because he has
to travel abroad," he told reporters.

He was quick to add that he was very disappointed with the
chairman's decision. The cancellation will dramatically reduce
the probability of putting the case to the People's Consultative
Assembly's Annual Session, which opens on Friday, Aug. 1, and is
to run until Aug. 10.

Choirie, a member of the National Awakening Party (PKB)
faction, said that Ambong called up members of the committee to
tell them that the July 29 hearing was adjourned. "He said the
next hearing would convene after the Annual Session."

"The committee could have drawn up a conclusive report to be
presented to the MPR Annual Session, had it convened today,"
Choirie said.

Most of the committee members are not in town and are visiting
their home provinces, as the House is in recess.

Ibrahim Ambong of the Golkar party -- the second largest
faction in the House -- was not available for comment.

Ambong's move once again proves that the House is not serious
about bringing to light the apparent irregularities behind the
purchase of four Sukhoi jet fighters and two assault helicopters
from Russia worth US$192.6 million.

The Golkar party had earlier indicated that there might be a
possibility of bringing the issue to the MPR Annual Session.

Party chairman Akbar Tandjung said that the President was
required to give an explanation during the session. Although the
explanation would not amount to an accountability report, the
legislators would still evaluate it, he said.

Members of the House Commission I on defense and foreign
affairs had unanimously agreed that the probe on the Sukhoi deal
should be completed before the Annual Session kicked off.

Committee member Rizal Djalil of the Reform Faction said the
attempt to unravel the mess surrounding the Sukhoi deal had lost
its momentum due to the members' failure to convene.

"If the hearing took place today, we could have reached a
conclusion and the Sukhoi case would be in the limelight of the
Annual Session. The public would know that the Megawati
administration has indeed violated regulations on military
procurement," he said.

Later in the day, hundreds of students staged a rally in front
of the MPR building on Jl. Gatot Subroto in Central Jakarta,
demanding the House to take the inquiry of the Sukhoi deal
seriously.

They also demanded the investigation on the alleged
irregularities be presented at the MPR's Annual Session.

The House set up a committee to probe the controversial deal
due to alleged irregularities in the purchasing process, which
violated banking regulations and the Defense Law.

The deal includes a countertrade agreement on top of cash
payment.

The defense ministry, required by law to take a leading role
in the purchase of combat weapons, has claimed that it was not
involved in the Sukhoi deal. However, Indonesian Military
Commander Gen. Endriartono Sutarto confirmed otherwise.

President Megawati has said that trade minister Rini, along
with the chief of the National Logistics Agency (Bulog), was
behind the deal.