Hans David Tampubolon, Jakarta – Legislators slammed prosecutors for their resistance to having an outsider replace Attorney General Hendarman Supandji, whose tenure ends next month.
"Such an attitude does not need to be publicly displayed," said House of Representatives Speaker and Democratic Party member Marzuki Alie.
As many as 8,000 prosecutors from the Indonesian Union of Prosecutors (PJI) declared their support for Supandji, who recently said he would prefer a successor from within the institution.
Bambang Soesatyo, a Commission III lawmaker from Golkar, said the Attorney General Office's (AGO) resistance to having an outsider would reinforce the public's perception that the law enforcement agency was prone to corruption.
Hendarman, who has been a prosecutor since 1979, recently submitted the names of eight prosecutors as candidates to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
Amid the AGO's claims of internal reform, suspects in the Gayus Tambunan tax evasion case mentioned the involvement of three prosecutors, Cirus Sinaga; Poltak Manulang and Fadil Regan, in case brokering.
Bambang accused Hendarman of spearheading the movement to prevent outsiders from leading the institution. "The movement must have been backed by someone powerful, and such a figure is certainly the office's highest rank," he said.
Deputy Attorney General Darmono said the move made by prosecutors was not a sign of rebellion. "It was a suggestion. A suggestion can be accepted or turned down depending on the state official holding the authority," he said.
He added that it would not be a problem if the President chose an outsider since it was within the office's prerogative to select the attorney general.
However, according to Darmono, "an insider will be qualitatively and quantitatively better" since the person does not have to adapt to the internal workings of the AGO.
Gayus Lumbuun, a Commission III lawmaker from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), said that a career prosecutor would make a more suitable attorney general based on past experiences with a career and external attorneys general.
He said that a career prosecutor would face no internal resistance because he would "understand the nature of prosecutors" given had the same professional background.
The esprit de corps exhibited by the prosecutors, he said, was not necessarily harmful because unity creates cohesive teamwork.
According to Ruhut Sitompul, a Commission III lawmaker from the Democratic Party, there is a possibility the President would choose an outsider, given the candidate fulfilled the requirements of Attorney General.
"The candidate can come from outside or inside the office as long as that candidate fulfills the criteria."
Outsider names which have emerged as possible candidates for Hendarman's replacement, including Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) chairman candidates Bambang Widjojanto and Busyro Muqoddas, lawyer Todung Mulya Lubis, Justice and Human Rights Ministry Director General for Human Rights Harkristuti Harkrisnowo, and former Constitutional Court chief Jimly Asshiddiqie. (gzl)
External Attorneys General
- Andi Ghalib, (1998-1999)- Marzuki Darusman, (1999-2001)- Baharuddin Lopa (June 2001 to July 2001)- Marsillam Simanjuntak, (July 2001-August 2001)- Abdul Rahman Saleh, (October 2004-May 2007)
[Lopa was a prosecutor until 1986. He later served various posts at the Justice and Human Rights Ministry and was a human rights commissioner in 1993-1998.]