TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The public must reject the plan of the House of Representatives (DPR) to use the right of inquiry (hak angket) to question the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).
The move of some lawmakers who propose the use of this right of inquiry clearly does not respect the law and deserve to be given appropriate sanctions. They do not deserve our votes at the 2019 General Election.
The plan to use the right of inquiry is absolutely absurd.
During a working meeting between the DPR Legal Commission and the KPK in April this year, several politicians questioned the truth of the testimony of their colleague, politician form the Hanura (People’s Conscience) Party Miryam S. Haryani, when she was questioned by the KPK.
Before the investigators, it was said that Miryam admitted she was threatened by five lawmakers to give a false statement about the distribution of the bribery money behind the procurement project of the electronic KTP (residential identity card).
The e-KTP graft case, which allegedly causes Rp2.3 trillion in state finance losses, is now being tried at the court.
Five lawmakers who are said to threaten Miryam are Bambang Soesatyo (from the Golkar Party), Desmond Junaedi Mahesa (from the Great Indonesian Movement Party/Gerindra), Sarifuddin Sudding (from the People’s Conscience Party/Hanura), Aziz Syamsudin (from the Golkar Party), and Masinton Pasaribu (from the Indonesia Democratic Party of Struggle/PDI Perjuangan).
It is not surprising if those five lawmakers are the ones who have been intensively pushing KPK leaders to disclose the recording of Miryam’s questioning. With that move, they have openly misused their power as lawmakers.
Especially after they failed to force the KPK to submit the recording, they are now trying to garner supports to use the right of inquiry.
The move made by Bambang Soesatyo and his fellow lawmakers colleagues must be rejected by the DPR Plenary Session because it is against Law Number 27 of 2009 on the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR), the House of Representatives (DPR), the Regional Representatives Council (DPD), and the Regional Council (DPRD).
According to Article 77 paragraph 3 of the Law, the right of inquiry is the rights owned by the DPR to investigate the enforcement of laws or government’s policies that are important, strategic and give all-encompassing impacts to the lives of the public that are allegedly against laws and regulations.
It is impossible that those lawmakers do not understand that the KPK’s rejection to disclose the recording of Miryam’s recording does not meet the criteria.
It is crystal clear that the move was designed to disrupt attack against the legal ongoing process in the e-KTP graft case, especially after the KPK has already asked Immigration Directorate General to ban DPR Speaker Setya Novanto from going abroad. Setya was mentioned by a number of witnesses as the main actor who masterminded this big-scale corruption case.
Yesterday, the letter to propose the right of inquiry was read during the DPR Plenary Session.
The United Development Party (PPP) fraction, the National Awakening Party (PKB) fraction, the Golkar Party fraction, the Gerindra Party fraction, and the Democratic Party fraction already rejected the proposal. The move taken by other factions at the DPR should not be different.
However, the rejection against the right of inquiry only was not enough. The list of names of those who propose the right of inquiry must also be immediately announced to the public. The people must know which politicians who actively attack the KPK and hinder the fight against corruption in this country.
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