Megawati lashes out at police, AGO

Chairwoman of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) Megawati Soekarnoputri lashed out at Attorney General Basrief Arief and Police chief Gen. Timur Pradopo after both failed to show up for an antigraft seminar organized by the party on Friday.

Megawati, a former president, said that the two senior government officials had no reason to skip the seminar as both had confirmed that they would speak at the program. She said the two had belittled the nation’s anticorruption movement.

“Why didn’t they come? I can’t understand how they could be so busy that they had to skip this important forum. The two state officials should remember that the PDI-P is not an enemy and we are part of Indonesia, and PDI-P lawmakers have elected the National Police chief in a fit and proper test,” she said.

More than 1,000 PDI-P members, including the chairman of local branches and local councillors, attended the seminar. Chief of the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) Hadi Purnomo and chairman of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) delivered speeches at the seminar.

In her speech, Megawati defended the PDI-P’s decision to remain an opposition party, but pledged its commitment to the government’s antigraft programs.

Trimedya Panjaitan, a member of the PDI-P’s central board and the chair of the seminar, said that Timur was joining President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on a trip to Jambi for National Press Day in Jambi, while Basrief was at the Halim Perdanakusumah Airbase to welcome Yudhoyono back to the capital.

“But it is strange that an attorney general has to join the function. I think he just did not receive permission from the President to speak at this forum,” he said.

Comr. Gen. Sutarman and Deputy Attorney General for Special Crimes Andi Nirwanto, who attended the seminar on behalf of Pradopo and Basrief, apologized for their superiors’ absences.

“The attorney general has an important function that he could not skip. He gave me the order to come here,” Andi said.

Later in her speech, Megawati criticized the government’s selective prosecution of corrupt suspects.

“Many small cases have quickly been brought to court while big fish who have stolen billions and trillions of rupiah remain untouchables. This has hurt the public’s sense of justice,” she said.

Many PDI-P lawmakers and former legislators are in jail for graft. Many others are on trial.

The KPK recently named Miranda Swaray Goeltom, former senior deputy governor of Bank of Indonesia, who is thought to be close to the PDI-P, as suspect in a bribery case involving the disbursement of 480 traveler’s checks worth Rp 24 billion.