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Buloggate and Bruneigate investigations:
Megas Party a No-Show At House Meeting
Reporter: Yogi Arief Nugraha / GB
detikworld - Jakarta,Speaker of the House of Representatives, Akbar
Tanjung has lashed out at the Indonesian Democratic Party of
Struggle (PDI-P) for not showing up at the first meeting of a
Special Committee formed to investigate the Buloggate and
Bruneigate scandals. Boycott or internal party problems?
"Ill immediately contact the PDI-P faction leadership directly
about their delegates who are to sit on the Special Committee,"
Akbar said pointedly in a press conference held at the parliament
complex Friday 8/9/2000.
Last week, the House voted overwhelmingly in a plenary session to
investigate the scandals. The Buloggate scandal centers on the
transfer of Rp 35 billion (US$4.2 million) from the State Logistics
Agency (Bulog) to a member of the President's 'inner circle'
claiming to act in his name. The revelation sparked controversy
earlier in the year and brought the President's financial dealings
under scrutiny. Then the so-called Bruneigate scandal emerged
involving a donation of some US$ 2 million for humanitarian
purposes in Aceh received from the Sultan of Brunei, which was
reportedly transferred to several organisations linked to the
President and his political party.
Each faction is to receive seats on the Special Committee
proportional to their representation in the House. The PDI-P, as
the biggest faction, has 15 seats prepared but has obviously
declined to participate fully or even send notification to the
Speaker of the House. Akbar was quick to point out that if the
Committee is not complete, it can not begin work.
"The formation of the Special Committee is a decision of the House
and it is hoped it can begin work immediately," Akbar said.
"Because of that, the composition of the membership was be
completed so that it can begin plan its work program for the
future," he added.
Despite these no nonsense assertions, as always, the issue is more
complicated than first appearances. When the motion to investigate
the scandals was passed, all factions supported it. However, the
vote on whether to investigate Bulog and other non- budgetary funds
under previous regimes failed by a margin of only 10.
The PDI-P and the Presidents own National Awakening Party (PKB)
apparently voted to investigate further- a move which would
definitely uncover massive corruption under the Suharto and Habibie
regimes. Akbar belongs to the second largest faction in the House,
Golkar, which ruled Indonesia in cohorts with the military under
Suharto. They naturally voted against an in-depth investigation.
The issue is further complicated by persistent rumours that the
PDI-P, headed by Vice President Megawati Sukarnoputri, is split on
the issue with internal factions either supporting the Special
Committee or it rejecting outright . Indeed the party is going
through significant internal wranglings while Megawati attempts to
keep the antagonists united firmly under her benevolent leadership.
No one at the press conference Friday, including Akbar, was sure
why the delegation had not attended. And no one was really sure
what would happen if one of the factions refused to participate.
When asked what would happen if one of the factions announced that
the Committee should not proceed, Akbar merely reiterated. "The
decision to form the Committee has already been agreed in a plenary
session and has become a decision of the House."