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Jokowi refuses to comment on Setya’s travel ban
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Allies: President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo talks with Vice President Jusuf Kalla on the sidelines of a limited Cabinet meeting at the State Palace on March 29. (Antara/Puspa Perwitasari)
P
resident Joko “Jokowi” Widodo said on Wednesday he had not yet received a letter of complaint from the House of Representatives regarding the Corruption Eradication Commission’s (KPK) move to slap a travel ban on House Speaker Setya Novanto.
The President further said he would not make any decision related to the House’s disappointment over the issuance of the travel ban.
“As of today [Wednesday], the letter has not yet arrived on my desk. Please ask the Law and Human Rights Ministry about it. I will not comment on it now,” Jokowi said during a working visit to Bandung, West Java, on Wednesday.
(Read also: House speaker slapped with travel ban)
During a meeting on Tuesday evening, the House’s deputy speakers reached an agreement that they would send a formal letter to President Jokowi protesting the KPK’s move, which they said would hamper Setya’s work as House speaker.
House Deputy Speaker Fahri Hamzah said Setya had a diplomatic role in his capacity as House Speaker.
The KPK has barred Setya from traveling overseas for the next six months after the Golkar Party chairman was implicated in the e-ID case that allegedly caused Rp2.3 trillion (US$173.21 million) in state losses.
Separately, Vice President Jusuf Kalla emphasized that despite the House’s protestations, President Jokowi had no authority to intervene in the work of the KPK because it was an independent body.
“Neither the President nor the House can [influence the KPK],” Kalla said, adding that all parties must respect the legal process. (ebf)
