Wowor speaks up on Bruneigate
Wowor speaks up on Bruneigate
JAKARTA (JP): A businessman who acted as a mediator in the
matter of the US$2 million donation to Indonesia made by the
sultan of Brunei, amplified President Abdurrahman "Gus Dur"
Wahid's explanation of the ensuing scandal on Thursday, saying
the donation came from a member of the Brunei royal family and
was earmarked as his personal contribution to humanitarian causes
in Indonesia.
Ario Wowor, who does business in Brunei and is close to the
royal family, agreed to act as an intermediary between the
Bruneian donor and the President in channeling the donation.
"The member of the royal family made known his intention of
offering the funds as personal alms for the needy in Indonesia
and I brought the offer to the notice of the President. The
latter accepted it but appointed Haj Masnuh, a functionary in
Nahdlatul Ulama (the largest Muslim organization), to manage it.
"Following the meeting with the President, I went back to
Brunei to convey his positive response to the member of the royal
family who later sent the funds to Masnuh's bank account on Jan.
15, 2000," he told a press conference.
The President said in his reply to the House of
Representatives' first memorandum of censure on Wednesday that
Wowor played a dominant role in channeling the donation and that
later the funds were obtained by Masnuh.
Wowor further said he regretted that the funds had became a
source of political conflict between the President and the House.
"Both the government and the House should thank the Brunei
royal family for the donation, instead of bickering over the
origin of the funds and making it a political commodity," he
asserted.
He said he felt very uneasy and embarrassed upon witnessing
the House's recent investigation into the scandal.
"The President and the House should stop the dispute because
it has tarnished the country's image overseas," he said.
What's important was to check whether the funds were used in
line with the donor's original intention, he added.
"The House should have public accountants audit the use of the
donation so as to ensure that it is all accounted for," he said.
Meanwhile, Faisal Riza Rachmat, chairman of the Forum for
Action and Studies on Democracy (Fosad), attacked certain parties
in the House who wanted to topple the President using the Brunei
scandal and the Rp 35 billion (US$2.5 million) Bulog financial
scam.
"The two financial scandals are part of a political ploy
launched by certain Muslim legislators to topple the President,
whom they consider to have stymied their sectarian interests," he
said.
According to Faizal, it was very unfair to blame Gus Dur for
the continued political instability, sectarian conflicts and
economic crisis assailing the country.
"The political instability, the collapse of the rupiah and the
recent sectarian conflicts have much to do with the continued
conflict among the members of the political elite," he said.
He also said that if the nation was truly committed to
fighting all out against corruption, all major corruptors from
the former New Order era and in the present bureaucracy should be
brought to court.
"It is very strange that the House has been highly
enthusiastic about these two financial scandals while it does
nothing about the corruption cases in the state-owned oil company
Pertamina, the National Logistics Agency (Bulog) and other state-
owned companies and state agencies that have resulted in losses
of hundreds of trillions of rupiah to the state," he said.
He called on the members of the political elite to end the
conflicts and join forces to rebuild the nation and to win back
international confidence in Indonesia.
"The situation will continue to worsen and the people will be
unable to survive the economic hardship if the conflicts among
the politicians continue," he said. (rms)