Wahono urged to exonerate legislator

Wahono urged to exonerate legislator

By Santi WE Soekanto

JAKARTA (JP): A political observer has suggested that House
Speaker Wahono be bold and not endorse the dismissal of outspoken
Golkar member Bambang Warih Koesoemo.

"Wahono should side with the people, because Bambang, too, was
siding with the people when he disclosed a major bad-debt scandal
last year," Arbi Sanit, a staff lecturer at the University of
Indonesia, told The Jakarta Post on Saturday.

Arbi suggested that Wahono first evaluate the list of
Bambang's "political sins" that was put forward by Golkar leaders
as the reason for his dismissal last week.

"If he believes that the list of accusations leveled against
Bambang is not morally acceptable and that the dismissal has not
followed the appropriate procedures, then he should be courageous
enough not to forward the letter to President Soeharto," he said.

Arbi said that Wahono, who was once the Golkar party chairman,
has nothing to lose politically in his current position. "If I
were Wahono, I would use this condition to leave my mark and
achieve something for myself," Arbi said.

Golkar leaders submitted to Wahono on Friday their request to
withdraw Bambang from the House of Representatives (DPR). Another
letter addressed to President Soeharto with a similar request was
also given to Wahono, who was expected to forward it to the head
of state.

Golkar leaders last week disclosed a list of Bambang's
purported offenses to the press, including his "lack of manners"
when dealing with cabinet ministers during hearings in the DPR.

Bambang has been accused of harshly criticizing and offending
several cabinet ministers. Golkar leaders have charged that
Bambang overstepped his bounds by demanding that Minister of
Manpower Abdul Latief resign, something they consider a
"violation of (party) principles". According to the group
leaders, installing and discharging ministers is the President's
prerogative.

Golkar leaders said the decision to dismiss Bambang Warih now
rests entirely with Wahono, the only one with the authority to
withhold the decree or refer it to President Soeharto.

"Wahono should learn from the Soedardji case," Arbi said,
referring to a 1982 case brought by the party's executive board
to dismiss the then chairman of the United Development Party's
(PPP) representatives in the DPR.

At that time, the proposal of the PPP board was nullified when
the then House Speaker Amir Machmud decided not to submit it to
the President.

"As far as I know from the press reports, Golkar leaders have
not followed the proper procedures in firing Bambang," he said.

Dr. Budyatna, dean of the University of Indonesia's School of
Sociology and Political Sciences, on the other hand, believed the
suggestion was far-fetched.

He told the Post that he believed Wahono would eventually
forward the letter to President Soeharto and let Bambang be the
fall guy in order to save the Golkar leaders from further
embarrassment.

"We're talking about a culturally-nuanced political arena
here," he said. "When Golkar leaders said they had consulted
President Soeharto before issuing the dismissal decree, that
meant they had his approval."

Both observers agreed, however, that it was the Golkar leaders
who were "lacking in manners". Not only had they failed to
observe the proper procedures before dismissing Bambang, they
also engaged in a campaign of mudslinging by publicly disclosing
a list of Bambang's supposed faults without notifying him.

"I think Bambang has every right to sue," Arbi said.

"Bambang was only doing his job...being critical of
government officials -- that's his right," Budyatna said.