President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and his government's coalition will face more pressure concerning the Bank Century bailout scandal from the House of Representatives.
A senior legislator revealed 243 of the House's 560 members had signed the petition to inquire into the scandal. On Thursday the number stood at 224.
According to House procedure, an endorsement will only be passed if more than 50 percent of the legislators who attend a plenary session agree on the inquiry pro-posal. This means only 38 more legislators are needed to pass the inquiry.
Gayus Lumbuun from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) - one of the parties that initiated the petition - said the House does not need to wait for the Supreme Audit Agency's (BPK) final result as the government insisted.
"We don't need to wait for the BPK because it is only a technical audit," Gayus told kompas.com on Friday. "We want a larger *audit*."
The House consultative committee is scheduled to discuss the Bank Century inquiry proposal on Dec. 1. But first House legislators must reach a consensus to officially endorse the committee.
If House legislators do not reach a consensus then, the session will enter a lobbying session. If the chairmen fail to reach a consensus at the lobbying session, the result will be decided by voting.
Once established, the committee will have the legal right to summon anyone suspected of involvement in the Bank Century scandal, which cost taxpayers approximately Rp 6.76 trillion (US$716 million).
There are only three out of nine parties at the House, including Yudhoyono's Democratic Party, that have yet to confirm their agreement to endorse the committee. The United Development Party (PPP) and the National Awakening Party (PKB) also opposed the petition.
But those two political parties reportedly give the liberty totheir legislators to make their own decision.
Ruhut Sitompul, from the Democratic Party, said his party's reluctance to sign the petition did not mean the speculation that his party enjoyed the money was true.
"The Democratic Party did not receive any money," he said.
A political expert from the Indonesian Institute of Sciences, Lili Romli, was skeptical the inquiry committee would be endorsed.
"Considering the fact that the size of the Democratic Party's coalition consists of around 75 percent of the House, it will be difficult to endorse the committee," she said.
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