Markus Junianto Sihaloho – Members of the government's ruling coalition have agreed to disagree on the touchy issue of invoking the House of Representatives' right to express a further opinion on the Bank Century bailout, leaving the decision on whether or not to invoke that right to individual legislators.
More than 100 legislators have signed a petition to invoke the right to a collective opinion, which could lead to the impeachment of Vice President Boediono, the central bank governor at the time of the 2008 bailout.
Speaking after an evening meeting of the ruling coalition's newly formed joint secretariat on Tuesday, Syarif Hassan, from the Democratic Party, said the group had fragmented over what stance to take on the question of invoking the right.
When it finished its investigation into the controversial bailout of Bank Century, which cost the government Rp 6.7 trillion ($735 million), the House voted not to identify those who it suspected of wrongdoing. The collective opinion would go against that decision, effectively naming names – potentially Boediono's – which could then be used as evidence in a criminal investigation.
The meeting was attended by Ibnu Munzir and Ade Komaruddin, from the Golkar Party, Mustafa Kamal, from the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), Asman Abnur, from the National Mandate Party (PAN), Jafar Hafsah, from the Democratic Party, Hazrul Azwar, from the United Development Party (PPP), and Marwan Jaffar and Baharudin Nashori, from the National Awakening Party (PKB).
Ibnu said Golkar was committed to fully supporting the government by not invoking the right, and denied the party had softened its stance on Century since Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati announced her resignation to join the World Bank.
"Our immediate obligation is to support the government," Ibnu said. "This secretariat is a forum for us to participate in governance, to have our say on government policies."
Syarif said the decision would be forwarded to Aburizal Bakrie, the secretariat's managing chairman and Golkar chief, to bring to other party chairmen. "The managing chairman will make known this coalition's political stance this week," Syarif said.
Marwan said that during the meeting on Tuesday all of the House faction leaders agreed that the criminal investigation into the Bank Century case should be followed through. "We all agreed that the political probe into Century was over," he said.
Most other legislators, including representatives from Golkar, the PKS, PAN and PPP, have said they would ignore the petition and let the criminal investigation into the bailout proceed.
But Golkar has split on the issue, with lawmaker Bambang Susatyo leading the charge to invoke the House's right to name names.
Meanwhile, a group of activists and NGOs on Tuesday announced they would form a civilian coalition secretariat in protest of the government coalition. Spokesman Fadjroel Rahman said the group would hold its inaugural congress on May 20 in Jakarta, with 300 activists from across the country expected.
He said the government's coalition secretariat was unconstitutional because it would render obsolete the cabinet and the House. "They're looking to iron out all the creases through the secretariat, which is what we're criticizing," Fadjroel said.
He added that the civil movement was aimed at raising public awareness that the joint secretariat was a political trick by those in charge to keep control of the country in rarefied circles. "We don't want our country's fate decided through back-room deals by the elite," he said.