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.