Bank Century motion tests coalition govt

House of Representatives leaders granted Thursday the Bank Century bailout scandal inquiry petitioners’ request to have their proposal for a committee considered in a plenary session scheduled for Dec. 1.

Bambang Soesatyo, an inquiry initiator from the Golkar Party, said the motion had secured the support of six of the nine political parties in the House.

The three parties that oppose the petition are President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s Democratic Party and two of its allies, the United Development Party (PPP) and the National Awakening Party (PKB).

The PPP and PKB are reportedly allowing their independent legislators to make their own decision. While members of the Democratic Party will not sign the petition, several PPP and PKB legislators have joined the bandwagon.

But the three parties agree that the inquiry, if it occurs, should begin only after the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) submits its final report of its audit into the Rp 6.76 trillion (US$716 million) scandal to the House.

Endorsing the proposed petition is widely seen as an initial “victory” for the inquiry advocates and a test for Yudhoyono’s coalition as allies – Golkar, the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) and the National Mandate Party (PAN) – endorse the petition.

“The PAN was one party that pioneered reforms [after dictator Soeharto’s 1998 downfall].

“It will be shameful if our party restricts our freedom as leaders during the New Order did,” PAN legislator Chandra Tirta Wijaya said.

Chandra promised his party would put the public’s interest above the coalition’s.

The same sentiment was echoed by Yorrys Raweyai, a Golkar legislator.

“Our chairman allows us to support the petition because [this move] shows Golkar’s commitment to the people,” he said.

The number of petitioners increased to 224 as of Thursday.

According to procedures, the House plenary session must reach an absolute consensus before an inquiry committee can form. If not, the decision will be made by party chairmen. In case this fails, the decision will be made by voting.    

The committee can be formed if more than half of the 560 House members support it.

Once established, the committee will have the legal right to summon anyone suspected of involvement in the Bank Century scandal.

Information and Communications Minister Tifatul Sembiring, a former PKS chief, said Yudhoyono discussed the bailout scandal with his Cabinet ministers, all from coalition parties in Jakarta on Wednesday.

Tifatul said Yudhoyono suggested that petitioners wait for the BPK’s audit before beginning the inquiry.

Yudhoyono received support from the ministers, knowing the audit was commissioned by the House, said Tifatul.

He added Yudhoyono reminded the ministers of their commitment to maintain coalition integrity in bureaucratic terms and in the House.

Tifatul said Yudhoyono stopped short of pressuring the minister to exercise his party’s power to make other parties in the House withdraw their support for the inquiry.  

“There was no pressure,” Tifatul reported Yudhoyono as saying.

“We in the Cabinet cannot give instructions to parties in the House.”