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Marzuki: I’ll Quit If I’m Involved in Spending Blowout
Rizky Amelia & Ezra Sihite | January 21, 2012

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gnulab
11:24am Jan 21, 2012

If he knew, but kept silent about it, can that be considered as involved in the matter?


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House of Representatives Speaker Marzuki Alie says he is ready to resign if there are indications of his involvement in one of several costly projects at the legislature that have stirred controversy.

“If I am involved and there are state losses then I will resign. That is my promise,” he told reporters at the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) building in Jakarta on Friday.

Marzuki, who said he wanted to set a good example as the leader of the House, visited the KPK office with Nining Indra Saleh, the secretary general of the House, to submit reports on the controversial construction projects. But he refused to elaborate.

“I don’t want to go into detail about what I am reporting, but I have told the KPK which projects we think should be acted upon,” said Marzuki, a Democrat.

The House is under intense public scrutiny after several plans for costly projects came to light. These include the Rp 20 billion ($2.2 million) renovation of a meeting room, the printing of about 18,000 calendars for Rp 1.3 billion and a planned restroom renovation for which a budget of Rp 2 billion was set aside.

Marzuki said that the State Finance Development Comptroller (BPKP) was conducting an audit, including on the renovation of the 10-by-10-meter House Budget Committee meeting room.

“The BPKP is checking on projects the public suspects are tainted by graft,” he said.

The deputy chairman of the House’s Household Affairs Committee (BURT), Pius Lustrilanang, said his office had only received initial budget plans for projects at the legislature and did not control how the funds would actually be spent.

“The specifications and other issues are not monitored by the BURT. It is up to the secretariat and the Budget Committee as users,” the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) politician said. He denied claims by the secretariat that the BURT was more deeply involved in the projects.

“According to the revised state budget, Rp 200 billion [is earmarked for House projects], including Rp 20 billion for the Budget Committee room,” Pius said.

He added that the BURT had no knowledge of the secretariat going out of its way to use up the entire budget by purchasing expensive furniture, including 85 chairs imported from Germany at Rp 24 million apiece.

The House Ethics Council said that Nining was to blame for the controversial projects, and added that she had made unsubstantiated accusations directed at the Budget Committee.

Nining had said earlier that the high costs were due to strict specifications drawn up by the Budget Committee.

On Friday, she acknowledged that the secretariat had not fully informed all stakeholders concerned about all the projects.

“Some things haven’t been sufficiently communicated. But all plans, including their technical aspects, have been in line with existing laws,” she said.