Rama Pratama: "I Was Against Budget Increase"

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: Lawmaker from Prosperous Justice Party, Rama Pratama, said on Thursday (16/4) after undergoing about 10 hours of questioning by the anti-corruption body.Rama Pratama whose name emerged in the investigation of the government stimulus package graft case was questioned for the first time on Thursday, in a case which also dragged head of the Fiscal Policy at the Finance Ministry Anggito Abimanyu.Rama told reporters that he did not push to increase the original Rp 10.2 trillion budget for airport and seaport projects in the eastern part of Indonesia to 12.2 trillion. A budget that received the goverment sTimulus vowed in March to cushioned with the global recession.Because I have stressed it to my colleagues in the budget committee that if there was to be any spending increase, that would incur deficit and that would be noted by the Finance Ministry," Rama said.Rama also said that he did not involved in the bribe that snared lawmaker from National Mandate Party, Abdul Hadi Djamal, which is now the prime and only suspect in the case.Abdul Hadi was arrested by investigators from the Corruption Eradication Commission early last month carrying Rp 54 million and US$ 80,000 he said he received from a Surabaya-based businessman Hontjo Kurniawan in the negotiation of the projects.Another lawmaker summoned by the anti-graft commission was Johny Allen Marbun of President Yudhoyono's the Democratic Party.CHETA NILAWATY