The Bambang Warih case

The Bambang Warih case

The report which appeared in this newspaper yesterday that
House Speaker Wahono endorsed the expulsion of Golkar legislator
Bambang Warih Koesoemo from the House of Representatives (DPR)
was inaccurate and a clarification is therefore due. What
actually happened was that Wahono agreed to forward the Golkar
proposal to have Bambang removed from the House of
Representatives to President Soeharto for final approval.

The misleading element in the report was in that it made it
appear that the House Speaker and his deputies endorsed Bambang's
removal. The fact is that we really don't know the contents of
Wahono's letter to the President, which reportedly contained some
"additional considerations". Maybe it was an endorsement, maybe
it wasn't. But somehow the impression may have been created that
if the powerful executive board of a political organization has
agreed to withdraw an enfant terrible from the House, it will be
speedily done and that the House Speaker has nothing to do except
to nod and forward the proposal to the President. We tend to
forget that the House leadership has the obligation to keep its
integrity intact and one should have no doubt that the current
DPR leadership has shown a high standard of integrity.

Regarding Bambang Warih Koesoemo's case, from the very
beginning -- since the issue surfaced last month -- certain
irregularities could be detected. First, the reasons for the
"midterm replacement" of Bambang Warih Koesoemo (to use the
phrase used by the Golkar faction in the DPR) seem weak. The
faction's leaders said that on a number of occasions, Bambang
transgressed Golkar's official line. They also reported that
Bambang had offended a number of cabinet ministers during various
hearings in the House.

The fact that Bambang is outspoken is well known. That trait
has made him the darling of the press because, unlike the
majority of DPR members, he never hesitated to offer comments,
or raise questions, concerning matters he considered relevant. He
enlivened many House sessions with his daring questions.

One should not forget that it was Bambang, who asked the
questions last Monday that resulted in State Minister of Research
and Technology B.J. Habibie's stating that several of the
strategic industries under his supervision, including IPTN and PT
PAL, have been losing money. According to Habibie, these firms,
therefore, need export credits to make them competitive in the
international market.

We believe those questions won't constitute Bambang's last
salvo, either.

It should be remembered that, in the midst of the nation's
endeavor to speed up the democratization process, a person like
Bambang can do much to improve the tattered image of the House.
After all, the House is often called a "rubber-stamp
legislature". And many people believe its members indulge in the
in the "four D's" (datang, duduk, dengar, duit -- attend, sit,
listen and collect money).

Several other questions could also be raised. When Bambang
challenged the Golkar executive board to check the House records
to see whether he really had made statements offensive to a
number of cabinet ministers, his challenge went unanswered.
Minister of Industry Tunky Aribowo, who is one of the ministers
whom Bambang allegedly affronted by his remarks, has openly
denied feeling offended.

Another question: Is Bambang's withdrawal being processed
through the proper procedures? As far as we can remember, the
House of Representatives has a ruling which stipulates that any
proposal to replace (or recall) a member must be discussed first
with the House Speaker. In Bambang's case, we get the impression
that this may not have been done properly because Wahono has been
quoted as saying that he first learned of Golkar's proposal to
have the legislator removed from press reports. Those reports
were published after a press conference organized by the Golkar
faction to disclose Bambang's offenses.

With such questions perhaps still nagging at the public's
minds, we tend to believe that Bambang's case should be viewed in
a cautious way. The easiest thing to do, of course, is to first
check the House records to see whether or not Bambang made
offending remarks. Only after Bambang's sins have been confirmed
could anyone express a fair judgment on the case. We do believe
that the House Speaker has followed this simple procedure.

We believe that at stake here is not only the integrity of our
House of Representatives, or that of its leaders, but also our
respect for the principle of fair play. And, of course, one
should not forget that on this case hinges one of the tests of
our real and sincere will to strive for democracy. Fortunately we
also believe that the Golkar board is well aware of those aspects
of the case and that somehow its regard for those principles will
be demonstrated.