Jakarta – Pressure is mounting for President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to dismiss two Cabinet ministers who have been implicated in a 2003 corruption scandal.
The President, however, is holding firm to his preference to hear firsthand the two state officials' versions of their alleged involvement in the case.
Lawmaker Gayus Lumbuun of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), who is the House of Representatives' honorary council deputy chairman, urged Yudhoyono not to wait for a legal ruling on the involvement of State Minister of National Development Planning/National Development Planning Board (Bappenas) chairman Paskah Suzetta and Forestry Minister Malam Sambat Ka'ban.
"The President should not only rely on a normative legal ruling. He must also take into account the appropriateness of any such violation by his ministers," he said here Sunday as quoted by Antara.
Yudhoyono has summoned Paskah and Ka'ban for questioning on Monday to hear their versions of their alleged involvement in the corruption case where the Bank Indonesia board of governors allegedly paid money from BI's Indonesian Banking Development Foundation (YPPI) to former BI officials and some lawmakers.
Last week, Golkar lawmaker Hamka Yandhu testified in the Corruption Court that Paskah and Ka'ban received Rp 1 billion (US$110,988) and Rp 300 million, respectively, from Rp 31.5 billion allocated by BI officials for members of the former House Commission IX on financial affairs to smooth the way for amendments of the BI Law and resolution of the BI liquidity support corruption case.
Hamka said he personally gave the money to Paskah, Ka'ban and 49 other commission members.
But Ali Mochthar Ngabalin, deputy chairman of the Crescent Star Party (PBB) – of which Ka'ban is a member – called on the President not to rush into a decision to reshuffle the Cabinet following the accusations.
"The President should be wise in handling the case. He should encourage his ministers to focus on their duties instead of thinking about a reshuffle," he said.
Yudhoyono's Democratic Party has left the reshuffle issue to the President.
"We believe in the ongoing legal process and the legal apparatus handling the case. As for the two ministers' positions in the Cabinet, that comes fully under the President's authority," party deputy chairman Anas Urbaningrum said.
Hamka himself reportedly said he did not want to drag his colleagues into the case.
"Pak Hamka did not wish his colleagues to be declared suspects or defendants in the case. He only wanted them to return the money to the state," said Yahya Rasyid, who claimed to be one of his legal advisors, as quoted by kompas.com.
The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has also been urged to seriously pursue Hamka's testimony. "The KPK must pursue those who received payments from the BI fund," Antara quoted Sophian Kasim, chairman of the Relawan Bangsa legal aid center, as saying Sunday.
He said the KPK should not be discriminatory in investigating corruption. "With their extraordinary power, there's no reason for the KPK not to immediately process their cases legally," he said.