Adianto P. Simamora, Jakarta – A House of Representatives' special committee has slammed the Attorney General for failing to attend a meeting on the establishment of an investigative tribunal into the abduction of democracy advocates.
Hendarman Supandji was in Bali as part of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's entourage for the Bali Democracy Forum. Instead of attending Wednesday's meeting with lawmakers, he sent assistant attorney general for special crimes Marwan Effendy.
"This is not a technical meeting to discuss issues like the state budget. It is a working meeting which is political in nature," Committee chairman Effendi Simbolon said to Marwan in relation to Hendarman's absence.
The Committee also invited Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Widodo A.S., National Police Chief Gen. Bambang Hendarso Danuri, State Intelligence Agency (BIN) chief Syamsir Siregar and Indonesian Military (TNI) chief Gen. Djoko Santoso. None of these high-profile figures attended the meeting.
Widodo was also in Bali while Djoko and Bambang sent letters explaining their absence. Bambang had another hearing session with the House's Commission III overseeing legal affairs.
"I want to ask Hendarman if he received the final report from the team about the abduction of democracy activists in 1997-1998. If he has, why is the case back to square one?" Effendi said to Kompas.com.
Effendi, a politician with the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), said earlier that the Committee would call upon several retired generals, including former Indonesian Armed Forces (ABRI) chief of social-political affairs Yudhoyono, former ABRI commander Wiranto, former Army Special Forces (Kopassus) chief Prabowo Subianto and former Jakarta military chiefs Sutiyoso and Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin.
The Committee was established last year but has so far been inactive until Effendi's recent announcement to summon the retired generals.
Observers have questioned the motives behind the Committee's sudden move, saying that those being summoned were presidential hopefuls in next year's election, and the investigations would take place months before the election.
Yudhoyono is the adviser to the Democratic Party, which surveys have revealed possesses the most popular candidates in the upcoming presidential election.
Wiranto, a former presidential candidate in 2004, is now chairman of the People's Conscience Party (Hanura), while Prabowo, an adviser to the Great Indonesian Movement Party (Gerindra), will also run for presidency.