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Party Leaders Call Gerindra Lawmaker To Answer for House’s Spending Plans
Markus Junianto Sihaloho | January 24, 2012

Workers build a motorcycle parking area at the House of Representatives building complex in Jakarta. Antara Photo/File Workers build a motorcycle parking area at the House of Representatives building complex in Jakarta. Antara Photo/File
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Feeling the heat from public outrage over lavish spending by the House of Representatives, the Great Indonesia Movement Party summoned member Pius Lustrilanang to clarify his role as deputy chairman of the House’s Household Affairs Committee.

Fadli Zon, deputy chairman of the party know as Gerindra, confirmed that his faction had met with Pius regarding his role on the Household Affairs Committee (BURT), which oversees projects carried out by the secretariat general of the House.

Pius reportedly told party colleagues that he was not responsible for spending decisions on the House Budget Committee’s room renovation, saying the authority rested with House secretary general Nining Indra Saleh and the Budget Committee itself.

“Pius claims he knew nothing of the budget details. Besides that, he stressed that House Speaker Marzuki Alie, who is also the head of BURT, was responsible for the project,” Fadli said at a news conference on Sunday.

Marzuki has said he is ready to resign if there are indications of his involvement in any of the costly projects that have stirred controversy of late.

This is not Pius’s first run-in with his own party over similar concerns. In April, Fadli promised to “sanction” Pius over his support for plans to build a new tower for the House at a cost of Rp 1.13 trillion ($127 million). But instead of removing him from his BURT post as promised, Gerindra quietly let the issue slide.

Fadli said on Sunday that when cross-examined on whether he had benefitted personally from the project, Pius was adamant that he had not received a single rupiah from any House expenditure.

“He stressed that he was ready to be investigated by the Corruption Eradication Commission [KPK] if necessary,” Fadli said.

Gerindra officials have said that they do, in fact, want the anti-graft body to investigate recent House expenditures. The contentious renovation of the Budget Committee meeting room cost Rp 20 billion.

“The Gerindra party considers these expenditures as a betrayal of the people. They are excessive and irrational,” Fadli said.

Pius had denied any wrongdoing a day earlier when reporters confronted him while at a Gerinda party function.

“As the person in charge of equipment for BURT, I chaired the meeting [on the Budget Committee room renovation] and I am required to sign the minutes of all meetings. That’s set out in the procedural rules, and if I didn’t sign, I would be breaking the rules,” Pius said.

“But regarding the decision and who made it, it was the decision of the whole meeting, of all the participants.”