Muninggar Sri Saraswati & Ismira Lutfia – A faction within the United Development Party is considering withdrawing from the ruling coalition in response to the Corruption Eradication Commission's decision to name former Social Affairs Minister Bachtiar Chamsyah, a senior party member, as a suspect in a 2004 graft case.
Parmusi, the biggest faction in the party, which is known as the PPP, believes Bachtiar's case has been politicized because he was named a suspect after ending his ministerial service, Lukman Hakim, the chairman of the Parmusi Central Board, said on Wednesday.
"I asked Parmusi to recommend that the PPP withdraw its membership from the coalition. There is no use in joining it," he told reporters at a news conference in Jakarta.
Bachtiar, who chairs the PPP advisory council, was a staunch supporter of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono during last year's presidential election.
On Monday, Bachtiar was charged by the anti-corruption commission, or KPK, and accused of causing state losses of up to Rp 26 billion ($2.8 million) in two procurement projects when he was the social affairs minister.
Imam Suhardjo, Parmusi's secretary general, said the faction was worried that Bachtiar's charges were not solely based on legal grounds. "We're afraid this is a political one because KPK only named him a suspect so far although the case involved a number of people," he said.
Bachtiar knew about the case three years ago and, during a Cabinet meeting, asked Yudhoyono to ensure that the case was investigated thoroughly.
However, the president said nothing, Lukman claimed. "When he was a minister, [the case was] abandoned. But, look what happened when [Bachtiar] is no longer a minister," he said.
Both Lukman and Imam said Parmusi will convey its request for PPP to withdraw from the ruling coalition during a PPP meeting in the near future.
However, Hasrul Azwar, the PPP's top executive, insisted there was no reason for his party to withdraw from the ruling coalition. "It's the KPK that named him a suspect, not SBY or the Democrats. Let's respect the legal proceedings," he said.
Anas Urbaningrum, who heads the Democrat Party, added that his party had no involvement with the charges. "It's the KPK. We have nothing to do with it," he said.
KPK deputy chairman Bibit Samad Rianto also denied that the antigraft body was facing political pressure over the case.