The Indonesian parliament building in Jakarta. (Photos source: Kompas)
Jakarta, GIVnews.com – Friday (27/11) should have been an unforgettable, joyous day for House Speaker Setya Novanto. On that day, he witnessed the rite of marriage of his second daughter, Dwina Michaella, at Jakarta's Roman Catholic Cathedral.
Archbishop Mgr. Ignasius Suharyo officiated at the religious ceremony amid tight security in and around the cathedral compound. A number of high-ranking government officials, including a couple of Muslim cabinet ministers, were present. Media personnel were not given access to enter into the cathedral compound.
Yet, for Setya Novanto and his family, Friday (yesterday) was a less fortunate day. On the same day, news broke that the Ethics Council of the House of Representatives (MKD) would start the trial of a high profile case involving Setya Novanto next Monday (30/11). Some in the media dub the case as the 'Freeport-gate scandal'.
Setya Novanto had been accused of doing two very serious unethical issues. The first is his alleged involvement in holding talks with PT Freeport Indonesia (PT-FI) on its contract extension issue, an act totally forbidden for House leaders. In addition, the house speaker allegedly used the names of President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo and Vice President Jusuf Kalla to request stock from PT-FI.
Next week's trial at the MKD will be open to the public, said council member Syarifuddin Sudung as reported by MetroTV on Friday (27/11). This was an apparent response to pressures from many parties in the past days.
While speaking to reporters at the House of Representatives (DPR), Syarifuddin said that the people to be examined from next Monday include several high ranking individuals. They include Setya Novanto, President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo, Vice President Jusuf Kalla, Coordinating Minister for Political, Law and Defense Affairs Luhut Panjaitan, and several others top figures. However, Syarifuddin did not say who would first be interrogated.
The names of all those people were mentioned in the transcript and recording of a conversation submitted to the MKD by Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Sudirman Said about ten days ago.
The case shown in the transcript and recording centers on the allegations that Setya Novanto had asked for a share of the stocks of copper and gold mining giant PT. Freeport Indonesia (PT-FI) in return for lobbying the President and Vice President. Such lobbying aimed to persuade the two state leaders to extend PT-FI's contract of work for its Grasberg operation in Papua.
So far, President Jokowi and the whole government remain adamant that PT-FI's contract extension will be discussed only two years before it expires in 2021 as stipulated by existing laws.
Being desperate, PT-FI leaders including Freeport-McMoRan Chairman James Robert Moffet who came to Indonesia several times, had tried to approach Indonesia's well-placed officials for lobbying.
This may have explained the reason why Setya Novanto had held talks with PT-FI's top leaders.
In the recorded conversation received by the MKD, the authenticity of which has yet to be legally verified, Setya Novanto told PT-FI executives that he was confident and that the President had sent a signal to approve PT-FI's contract of work.
Meanwhile, Minister Sudirman's reports to the House's ethics council had caused a national uproar. The mounting protests by numerous groups and individuals in the past days demanded Setya Novanto's immediate resignation as the house speaker.
In response to calls that the police should immediately take action against Setya Novanto, National Police Chief Gen. Badrodin Haiti said that they could act only based on the results of the upcoming trials at the MKD.
President Jokowi expressed his full support to the MKD, saying that "there should never be intervention in its work". Others have even urged the Corruption Eradication Corruption (KPK) to process the Setya Novanto case.
Still, some have questioned Minister Sudirman's real motive of reporting Setya Novanto to DPR's ethics council. They suspect that Sudirman himself had actually wanted something from PT-FI for his own needs. He was also suspected of trying to create an elegant excuse for his possible replacement in the awaited second round of cabinet reshuffle.
Next Friday (4/12), as reported by Detik.com, President Jokowi and Vice President Kalla, cabinet ministers and other dignitaries will be among the 3,000 guests expected to attend the gala wedding reception of Setya Novanto's daughter.
It will be quite interesting to see how the President, the Vice President and Minister Sudirman show their emotion as they congratulate Setya Novanto on the occasion.
Is it possible that the Setya Novanto case will eventually be tackled in Indonesia's 'family spirit' way? And then the case will be treated within limit so as to also protect others implicated in it?
Source: The Ethical Trial Everybody Has Been Waiting For
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