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embers of the House of Representatives have expressed support for immediately setting up a special inquiry to probe irregularities in mining company PT Freeport Indonesia following the controversy that prompted the resignation of Setya Novanto as House speaker.

The planned inquiry would aim to discover any political maneuvering behind Setya'€™s alleged attempt to strike a deal between the government and the company.

An ethics council investigation into Setya failed to come to a conclusion after the Golkar Party politician voluntarily stepped down from his post.

Golkar lawmaker Eni Maulani Saragih from the House'€™s Commission VII overseeing energy said that around 15 legislators from his party had signed the petition for the special inquiry'€™s establishment.

She said that she hoped more legislators from all parties would sign the petition, saying that such a committee was very important.

'€œAn working committee investigation is not enough to handle the Freeport case. We have to conduct deeper investigations into the problems surrounding Freeport so we can give more detailed and appropriate recommendations to the President about the next actions that should be taken,'€ Eni said.

Freeport Indonesia has been in the spotlight recently after Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Sudirman Said filed a report with the House'€™s ethics council. The report claims that Setya requested a 20 percent Freeport stock allocation for President Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo and Vice President Jusuf Kalla in exchange for securing a contract extension for the company to continue its operations after the current contract expires in 2021.

Anther Commission VII lawmaker, Inas Nasrullah from Hanura Party, said she supported the establishment of a special committee, saying that it should pay attention to the fine points of Freeport'€™s contract of work.

'€œThe contract is problematic and seems to give more power to Freeport. We need to be aware that Freeport doesn'€™t obey to the country'€™s regulations, but only its contract of work,'€ Inas said.

Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) lawmaker Masinton Pasaribu of House Commission II overseeing legal affairs, human rights and security said that four PDI-P legislators, including him, had signed the petition.

According to the Legislative Institutions (MD3) Law, at least 25 signatures of legislators were needed before establishing a special inquiry committee, he said.

'€œSuch an investigation would aim to stop further lobbying or clandestine negotiations by members of the political elite for their own business interests,'€ Masinton said.

He went on to say that secretive lobbying to make a profit from Freeport was common among senior governmental officials.

He also said that the committee should pay extra attention to several figures whose names had come up in the Freeport scandal '€” Kalla, Sudirman and State-Owned Enterprises Minister Rini Soemarno.

Gerindra Party vice chairman Arief Poyuono said that his party had given its full support for the establishment of the inquiry and recommended that the committee members of the inquiry be independent.

'€œIt should be established immediately to protect the country'€™s assets,'€ he said. (foy)