Armando Siahaan, Markus Junianto Sihaloho & Nivell Rayda – Even as it rolled out its monitoring team on the Bank Century bailout probe, the House of Representatives remained split on how to move forward over the proposal to use the right to express an opinion, the first step toward a possible impeachment of Vice President Boediono.
"I call on fellow legislators to stop, or at least delay, the call to invoke the right," House Deputy Speaker Priyo Budi Santoso, from Golkar, said on Tuesday.
"Let the monitoring body do its work in ensuring the House's recommendations are properly implemented by the government and law-enforcement agencies."
Priyo added that if these agencies failed to consider or act on House recommendations, "the House will decide whether to pursue the right to express an opinion."
A group of legislators, including Golkar's Bambang Soesatyo, have started a petition to invoke the right to express an opinion.
Some legislators say they are pressing ahead with the initiative regardless of the monitoring team, while others are waiting for the results of a judicial review on the 2009 law that stipulates any right to express an opinion requires the approval of three-quarters of all legislators.
Golkar faction chairman Ade Komaruddin said his party would only support the right if the Constitutional Court reduced the requirement to two-thirds.
"Golkar would never lie to the public," he said. "Our policy has always been that we won't invoke the right before the judicial review of the requirement is approved by the Constitutional Court, as per the Constitution. Without any changes to the requirement, the movement will be useless."
Similarly, petitioner Lily Wahid from the National Awakening Party (PKB) said her main concern was the judicial review.
At Tuesday's plenary session, the House formally introduced the much-awaited 30-member monitoring body to oversee the criminal investigations into the Century bailout.
The House Speaker and his deputies have agreed to take turns leading the team on a monthly rotating basis, with Golkar's Priyo to lead the first cycle.
Some legislators denounced the idea, saying there should be one leader throughout.
Bambang recommended that Priyo should lead if the team was leaning toward a political direction, or Anis Matta from the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) if it was economic-oriented.
Deputy Speaker Anis Matta said the rotation system was by the book. "The system doesn't breach anything, as there will only be one leader at a time." He said the objections had been noted and would be discussed further.
The team will monitor law-enforcement agencies' efforts to trace the financial transactions and the asset-recovery process.
Meanwhile, Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) deputy chairman Muhammad Jasin said it would question Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati on the bailout on Thursday, adding that the ministry had requested that the inquiry be held at her office. Boe-diono's questioning will reportedly be at his office.
Bambang said this was understandable in the latter's case, "but not with Mulyani. She must go to the KPK."