House of Representatives Speaker Setya Novanto (third from left) says he will comply with the legal process in relation to being named a suspect by the KPK in the e-ID corruption case. At the press conference in Senayan, Jakarta, on Tuesday (18/7), Novanto was accompanied by his deputies, Fahri Hamzah, Fadli Zon, Agus Hermanto and Taufik Kurniawan.
JAKARTA, KOMPAS — The suspect in the corruption case of the procurement of electronic identity (e-ID) cards, Setya Novanto, is expected to put forward his stance on statesmanship and political ethics. Novan is also expected to maintain the image of the House of Representatives (DPR), the institution he now leads.
In relation to this, several leadership elements of House factions and civil society activists have suggested that Novanto resign from his post as House Speaker. However, the Golkar Party has decided not to replace Novanto upon its consideration that the principle of the presumption of innocence must be upheld.
"Indeed, the principle of presumed innocence must be upheld. However, ethically, Pak Novanto has to take into account the image of the House of Representatives, which will be subject to negative impacts after he is named a suspect," said the secretary of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle faction in Jakarta, Tuesday (18/7).
The secretary of the Nasdem Party faction, Syarief Abdullah Alkadrie, added that by resigning as House Speaker, Novanto would also be in a favorable position because he could focus on the case.
A decision to resign as House Speaker was once taken by Novanto in December 2015. Novanto took the step at that time after a polemic related to the recording of conversations between himself and businessman Riza Chalid and PT Freeport Indonesia (FI) president director Maroef Sjamsuddin. In the recorded conversations, there appeared to be allegations of taking advantage of the names of President Joko Widodo and Vice President Jusuf Kalla in connection with PT FI share demands. However, the case was dismissed due to a lack of evidence.
"In the past, in the case of the alleged violation of the code of ethics related to PT FI shares, [Novanto] decided to resign. This time, his case is criminal, he should have taken a similar step," said the Center for Constitutional Studies director at Andalas University, Fery Amsari.
If Novanto refused to resign from his post, Ferry added, the Golkar Party was entitled to dismiss him as the House Speaker. However, Golkar had decided not to remove Novanto from his position as Speaker of the House.
At the plenary meeting of Golkar\'s central executive board yesterday, it was statedthat the party would continue supporting Novanto and submit to the principle of the presumption of innocence. Novanto was to retain his role as the House Speaker. However, the internal day-to-day leadership tasks in the party were handed over to the party’s executive chairman Nurdin Halid and secretary general Idrus Marham.
In the meeting, the party also emphasized that it would continue to support the Joko Widodo-Jusuf Kalla administration. Golkar will also continue to back Joko Widodo as presidential candidate in the 2019 general elections.
The House leadership meeting yesterday also decided that the composition of House leadership seats would not change for a while. Even though he had been named a suspect ina corruption case, Novanto would still serve as House Speaker. House Deputy Speaker Fadli Zon of the Gerindra faction argued that naming Novanto as a suspect had not acquired permanent legal force.
He was referring to a provision in Law No. 17 of 2014 on the People\'s Consultative Assembly (MPR), DPR, the Regional Representatives Council (DPD) and the Provincial/Regental Legislative Council (DPRD) that a House member who has the status of suspect will not dismissed from the House unless it had legal efficacy.
Denials
Separately, Novanto denied allegations that he had received Rp 574 billion through the e-ID card case.According to him, this was disclosed when he testified in a trial at the Jakarta Corruption Court on April 3, 2017. Businessman Andi Narogong, who was the defendant on trial in the e-ID card case on May 29, 2017, also mentioned that Novanto did not receive the money.
"Please note that I never received it, because Rp 574 billion is a very huge amount. How do I transfer and receive it? I beg you, not to tyrannize me," he said.
Novanto stated that he had sent a letter to the KPK leadership to immediately send a letter on naming him as a suspect. He needed the letter to determine his next legal step with regard to the KPK, which could be in the form of a pre-trial motion.
KPK spokesman Febri Diansyah said the commission had received the letter from Novanto. The KPK would send a letter on naming Novanto as a suspect this week. "Without being asked, the KPK always sends a letter on naming a suspect. This mechanism also applies in the naming of other suspects," he said.
Not hampered
Presidential Chief of Staff Teten Masduki emphasized that the government would not intervene in Novanto’s legal case. "The government leaves it to the legal process. The government\'s concentration is on the [ongoing] legislation in the House, which cannot be disrupted. The government is concerned that all legislation can be accelerated," Teten said.
A number of legislations are currently underway in the House. On Thursday, the House will hold a plenary session for a decision on the General Elections Bill. Besides the fact that the House has not yet completed deliberating the anti-terrorism bill, the House has also not yet taken a stance on the issuance of Government Regulation in Lieu of Law (Perppu) No. 1/2017 on Access to Financial Information and Perppu No. 2/2017 on Mass Organizations.
Teten did not dismiss the possibility that the naming of the House Speaker as a suspect could affect the ongoing legislation. However, Teten believed that political parties and House leaders had their own mechanisms to prevent the disruption ofits legislative duties.
MPR Speaker Zulkifli Hasan expressed his sympathies on the Novanto issue and entrusted the case entirely to the legal process.
Despite the ups and downs in politics, Zulkifli hoped that relations among state institutions to remain solid. This solidity was needed because the nation\'s problems could not be solved alone, and togetherness among the administrative leadership of the state was believed to be able to accelerate progress as desired.
