Saturday, September 11, 2010 08:55 AM
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Departing from their initial denial, major parties at the House of Representatives have opened up the possibility of pushing for an impeachment of Vice President Boediono in connection with the controversial Bank Century bailout.
Deputy House speaker Priyo Budi Santoso from the Golkar Party said demand was looming among politicians to exercise their right to state an opinion on the bailout case.
The exercise of the right is one step closer to an impeachment process, according to the House standing order. The House decision to exercise the right requires support from at least 250 legislative council members.
Priyo said the House insisted on following the due process of law to resolve the controversial bailout in accordance with its recommendations agreed upon in a vote last week.
“If there is no positive response from law enforcement institutions in following up the House’s final recommendations on the case, then it is possible for us to exercise our opinion right,” Priyo said.
The House declared the bailout was flawed and sought legal measures against Boediono and Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati for their role in the policy. Major political parties, however, refrained from initiating a process to impeach Boediono, who was the Bank Indonesia governor when the bailout was extended.
“We will wait and see how law enforcers implement our recommendations. It is now too early to talk about opinion rights,” Priyo added.
Chairman of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s Democratic Party at the House, Anas Urbaningrum, suggested recently that lawmakers give the law enforcement institutions opportunities to complete their investigations into the bailout.
In his speech to respond to the House’s resolution, Boediono said he would comply with any decision resulting from the political process of the bailout case, including if the People’s Consultative Assembly impeached him. He warned, however, the short-term interests behind the move of the power-hungry politicians would only undermine democracy.
Sources from within the Presidential Palace, who insisted on remaining anonymous, have said that Yudhoyono’s coalition partners — Golkar, the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), the United Development Party (PPP), the National Mandate Party (PAN), and the National Awakening Party (PKB) — had prepared names to replace Boediono should he be impeached.
Golkar is said to have prepared either its chairman, Aburizal Bakrie, or its chief patron, Akbar Tandjung.
However, Priyo dismissed the reports, calling them baseless.
“We have not dared to think about that,” he said. “Our only focus now is on how to win the 2014 general elections and nominate our own presidential candidate.”
Like Priyo, executives from the PAN and the PKS denied the speculation, which they said was groundless.
“PAN has never discussed it,” PAN deputy chairman Dradjad Wibowo told The Jakarta Post.
Separately, PKS deputy secretary-general Fahri Hamzah said the reports would only tarnish the image of the presidential institution.
