"There are pros and cons; even our validity is still questioned. We'll invite parties that support and oppose this inquiry and let the public see the facts," inquiry committee chairman Agun Gunandjar Sudarsa of the Golkar Party said.

Critics say the inquiry is another attempt by lawmakers to weaken the KPK, one of the country's most credible institutions according to many surveys. The move was launched late April amid a KPK investigation into a high-profile e-ID graft case.

Read also: Inquiry not ‘suitable' for us: KPK

Many of the inquiry members, including Agun, were mentioned in trial hearings of the case, suggesting that they had received some of the illicit money from the budget of the multi-trillion rupiah project.

Agun said the committee aimed to “redefine and return" the KPK to its role as a trigger mechanism to push police and prosecutors to eradicate corruption. The committee has set out framework in this regard, he claimed.

Committee deputy chairman Taufiqulhadi said they would summon former lawmaker Miryam Haryani -- now a perjury suspect related to the e-ID case -- on Monday to confirm testimony she gave in court saying she had been intimidated by several lawmakers not to reveal her knowledge about the e-ID case.

“We will send a letter to the KPK to summon Miryam. We'll see if the KPK would approve it,” the NasDem Party lawmaker said. Miryam is currently detained by the KPK.

Later on Wednesday, Agus said it would be not necessary for Miryam to come to the House if the inquiry team only wanted to hear her clarification.

Agus also said the tape of Miryam's testimony during the KPK interrogation would not be given to the inquiry. "The tape would be played in [Miryam's] trial anyway," he said, adding that the KPK would soon hand over Miryam's dossier to the Jakarta Corruption Court.

Another committee deputy chairman, Risa Mariska of the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), said the team would soon establish a public complaints desk to accommodate input from the public about the inquiry.

Meanwhile, opposition to the inquiry has grown stronger.

Read also: KPK should ignore "legally flawed" House inquiry: Constitutional experts

Members of the Constitutional Law and State Administrative Law Lecturers Association (APHTN-HAN) and experts from Andalas University's Constitution Study Center (PUSaKO) have called on the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) to ignore the controversial inquiry by the House into the antigraft body.

“The KPK shall obey the Constitution and law, not the inquiry committee, the establishment of which contradicted the laws,” said APHTN-HAN chairman and former Constitutional Court chief justice Mahfud MD said at the KPK's headquarters in South Jakarta on Wednesday as reported by kompas.com.

Meanwhile, KPK chairman Agus Rahardjo said the leaders of the antigraft body would announce their official stance concerning the inquiry in a meeting on Thursday.

“We have gathered input from constitutional law experts in the last two days,” Agus said at the House.

Read also: House, KPK on collision course

President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has yet to declare a clear stance regarding the controversy. On Tuesday he said he agreed that the KPK needed to be improved. However, he refused to give an opinion on whether the inquiry would weaken the KPK. “That is the House's area,” he said.

Golkar secretary-general Idrus Marham denied his party, as a supporter of the government and the inquiry, had approved the move to weaken the KPK. "This also has nothing to do with the 2019 elections," he told kompas.com.

Support for the KPK has also continued to grow on social media.

BERSAMA KPK, TOLAK HAK ANGKET THDP KPK 💪 #SolidaritasKPK pic.twitter.com/YKldhtLJYq

— ārfahreza (@rezalism) June 12, 2017

#SolidaritasKPK di kantor Partai Solidaritas Indonesia, cek TL @psi_id pic.twitter.com/ICHzrMChlR

— Mohamad Guntur Romli (@GunRomli) June 12, 2017

An anti-corruption watchdog held a survey on Twitter, asking whether Twitter users agreed Rp 3.1 billion of taxpayers' money should be used to finance the inquiry. The result: 89 percent of almost 1,800 voters "disagree".

Apakah kalian setuju jika uang negara sebesar Rp 3,1 milyar digunakan untuk membiayai Panitia Hak Angket KPK?

— ICW (@sahabatICW) June 13, 2017

(bbs)

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