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Why, activists ask, is disgraced Setya still at the House?

Jakarta Globe - December 23, 2015

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Lawmakers rally support for inquiry into Freeport – Jakarta Post. December 21, 2015
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Just kidding, minister Luhut says over Freeport shakedown scandal – Jakarta Globe. December 14, 2015
Freeport boss trying to cause trouble between House, govt: deputy speaker – Jakarta Post. December 7, 2015

Jakarta – Antigraft activists have slammed the Golkar Party for naming disgraced legislator Setya Novanto the head of its powerful House caucus, saying it reflects the bloc's lack of commitment to fighting corruption.

Setya resigned as the speaker of the House of Representatives last week, just as a parliamentary tribunal was about to declare guilty of ethical violations for his role in attempting to shake down mining giant Freeport Indonesia for 20 percent of shares, worth an estimated $4 billion.

Following Setya's resignation, Golkar opted to nominate its House caucus chairman Ade Komaruddin as the new speaker, and gave Ade's seat to Setya, putting him in charge of the second-biggest party in the House – prompting activists to question the party's failure to punish him commensurate with the scale of his ethical violation.

"The inquiry launched by the House Ethics Council should have been enough for Golkar to withdraw Setya from the House," Donal Fariz, a researcher with Indonesia Corruption Watch, said at a discussionin Jakarta on Tuesday.

"Everything he did, all the meetings and requests for shares, were made public in the tribunal. Golkar should not have turned a blind eye to Setya's [misconduct]."

Two strikes

Donal noted that Setya had earlier been admonished by the ethics council for appearing at a campaign rally for US presidential hopeful Donald Trump in New York in September. With back-to-back tribunals, the activist argued, the decision to retain Setya at the House would only set a bad example for other legislators and allow Setya to carry on with business as usual.

"To preserve the honor and dignity of the House [...] we urge Golkar to withdraw its nomination of Setya as the caucus chairman, [...] dismiss Setya as a House member and appoint a replacement with a better track record and integrity," Donal said.

"Golkar should have sanctioned Setya for what he did and not given him a strategic post. A party should not protect those mired in ethics scandals."

Ray Rangkuti, the executive director of the voter advocacy group Indonesian Civil Society Circle (Lima), blamed the House Ethics Council for concluding its tribunal in response to Setya's resignation, rather than following through and delivering its guilty verdict.

"The council should have continued [the hearing] and issued the verdict on Setya's ethical violations so that there would be no more question about whether he was guilty or not," Ray told the same discussion.

Setya's decision to resign came after 15 out of 17 members of the council had presented their arguments, all saying he was guilty of an ethical violation.

"If a guilty verdict was issued, there would be no more excuse for him to become the Golkar caucus chairman," Ray said. "The council should have continued with its tribunal and finished the job."

Source: http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/activists-ask-disgraced-setya-still-house/.