F

ollowing a two-day high level meeting, the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) has devised a strategy to strike back against the Corruption Eradication Commission'€™s (KPK) attempts to prosecute many of its senior members for graft.

In the meeting at the party'€™s headquarters in South Jakarta over the weekend, the central executive board and the board of patrons agreed to support the complaint against the KPK to the National Police.

'€œWe have just collected new evidence proving that the KPK'€™s attempt to seize the cars was not in line with proper procedure,'€ PKS deputy secretary general Fahri Hamzah said.

Fahri was referring to an incident last week when the KPK tried to seize five cars parked outside party headquarters and were obstructed by PKS officials.

The KPK believe the cars were purchased with money illegally obtained by former PKS chairman
Luthfi Hasan Ishaaq.

Luthfi is under investigation for corruption during the procurement of beef and livestock.

Fahri has obtained a copy of the KPK'€™s standard operation procedure for assets seizure.

'€œWe will take the document when we file the report with the National Police on Monday,'€ he said.

Fahri also challenged the KPK to broadcast live the questioning of party chairman Anis Matta on Monday.

'€œWe want it to be open. Put a camera up front because we want to watch it. They use the public law and we want to see this,'€ he said.

The PKS will also file a complaint against KPK spokesman Johan Budi for defamation, especially for saying that the PKS has been uncooperative.

Commenting on the plan, Johan only said, '€œGo ahead, they have the right to do it.'€

The meeting was attended by dozens of the PKS great and good. Hilmi Aminuddin, the party'€™s chief patron, led the meeting despite being implicated in the graft case himself. Hilmi refused to be questioned by the KPK on Friday.

Ahmad Fathanah, an aide to Luthfi, is also a suspect in the case.

Speaking after the meeting on Sunday evening, PKS chairman Anis Matta said that he would meet the KPK'€™s summons on Monday.

'€œWe will also welcome KPK investigators on Monday if they want to return here to seize the cars. I have told the staff here to have a bouquet ready to welcome them,'€ Anis told a press conference after the meeting.

PKS spokesman Mardani Ali Sera said the two-day meeting also discussed other issues including the plan to increase the price of subsidized fuel. The government has been criticized for its planned assistance program that would be modelled on the controversial direct cash assistance (BLT) policy of 2009.

'€œThe BLT-like policy is not a sustainable solution. It won'€™t help people cope with the increased prices of staple foods. It is merely a political device ahead of the 2014 elections,'€ Mardani said.

Fahri said that his party would reject the plan if the proposal was tabled at the House of the Representatives. Although the PKS is a member of the governing coalition, the party has on many occasions opposed government proposals that did not meet its approval.

Fahri denied that the weekend meeting also discussed the fate of the agriculture minister.

As the Beefgate investigation unfolds, senior PKS member Suswono is said to be in danger of losing his place in the Cabinet.

Indonesia Corruption Watch analyst Emerson Yuntho said the PKS had undermined its own image with its plan to sue the KPK.

'€œTheir attempts to counter the KPK'€™s investigation will make people think the party supports graft. They will certainly lose a lot of votes in the 2014 elections,'€ he said.