Threats rife ahead of DPR probe talks

Kurniawan Hari and Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Golkar Party is employing a strategy of intimidation and threats to block a plan on Thursday to establish an inquiry into a Rp 40 billion (US$4 million) corruption scandal, popularly known as Bulogate II, that implicates its chairman Akbar Tandjung.

Golkar, the second largest faction in the House of Representatives, threatened on Wednesday to withdraw its support from President Megawati Soekarnoputri's Cabinet, whose membership consists of representatives of various parties.

The party also threatened to deploy about 2,000 of its supporters to the House of Representatives complex, where a plenary session with the main agenda of working out the details of the plan, and the Attorney General's Office, where another interrogation of Akbar as one of the suspects in the scandal, are due to take place.

Golkar member Fachri Andi Laluasa said the protesters would come from Lampung in the southern tip of Sumatra, Banten in western Java, Central Java, North Sumatra and Greater Jakarta.

"We have been supporting the current government. If PDI Perjuangan put us in difficulties, we have to take action. We will withdraw our support from the Gotong Royong Cabinet," Anthony Z. Abidin, another Golkar member, said referring to the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, which is led by Megawati.

Akbar, who will be the main target of the inquiry committee if it is established, is accused of misusing Rp 40 billion in non- budgetary funds from the State Logistics Agency (Bulog), which were allegedly used to fund Golkar electioneering activities when he was minister/state secretary under former president B.J. Habibie in 1999.

The Rp 40 billion was part of a Rp 54.6 billion fund that was disbursed by Bulog in several installments for humanitarian programs during the peak of the country's economic crisis.

Besides Akbar, former Bulog chief Rahardi Ramelan, his deputy Achmad Ruskandar, and Raudhatul Jannah foundation chairman Dadang Sukandar, who was in charge of distributing the food packages that were supposedly paid for out of the funds, have all been declared suspects in the scandal.

Golkar's co-chairman Fahmi Idris confirmed the threat, saying that his party would "review and redefine its short and long-term political stances".

Fahmi added that the redefinition of its political stances would be quickly followed up by action.

The proposal to launch an inquiry committee was submitted last October by a group of 50 legislators organized by the National Awakening Party (PKB).

The move by PKB, which was founded by former president Abdurrahman Wahid, was considered by many as an act of revenge against Golkar, which played an important role in unseating Abdurrahman in July 2000.

A similar committee was set up in 2000 to question Abdurrahman about the fraudulent withdrawal of Rp 35 billion from Bulog and also a $2 million donation from the Sultan of Brunei, which the former president claimed was a personal gift.

The co-chairperson of the PKB faction, Tari Siwi Utami, revealed that her faction had gained more support in the plan to form a special committee of inquiry into the scandal.

"We keep on lobbying other factions and legislators individually because we are aware of the quick changes in politics," Tari told reporters here on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, PDI Perjuangan top executives played down Golkar's plan to use mass mobilization, but warned their own supporters not to follow suit.

"It (the use of mob) reflects how panic Golkar is ahead of the plenary House meeting," PDI Perjuangan deputy chairman Roy BB Janis said on the sidelines of a party meeting at Menara Peninsula Hotel on Wednesday night.

He said the meeting was aimed at putting the final touch to the draft of the PDI Perjuangan faction's stance to be presented during Thursday's session.

Four party functionaries Dwi Riya Latifa, Panda Nababan, Amin Aryoso and Teras Narang brought the draft to party chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri for approval.

Latifa, one of 50 House legislators who proposed the establishment of the committee of inquiry, would read PDI Perjuangan faction's response.