RSSJAKARTA (UCAN) — Catholic university students joined hundreds of others at a rally yesterday [March 2] to demand concrete action from a parliamentary probe into a major banking scandal allegedly involving some of Indonesia’s top officials.
The youths from the Union of Catholic University Students of Indonesia, along with activists from the Association of Islamic University Students and Buddhist University Students Association of Indonesia, gathered outside the House of Representatives, where a special committee was holding a plenary session on the Century Bank scandal.
The committee, established on Dec. 14, is investigating a 6.76 trillion rupiah (about US$716 million) government bailout of Century Bank. The probe centers on allegations that the bank management stole huge sums from the small bank and the decision to bail it out was mired in rampant fraud.
Investigators also want to know why the amount allocated to keep the bank afloat was five times more than approved by parliament.
“The committee must make public all the details of the banking scandal and name the people responsible. It must also declare that the decision to bail out Century Bank was wrong,” Emanuel Herdyanto, the Catholic union’s secretary general told the rally.
The committee must also issue recommendations regarding the political and legal actions to be taken against those involved in the scandal, he said.
Expression of disapproval of government
“Our involvement in this rally is an expression of our disapproval of the government and also to ensure this probe is conducted properly,” Herdyanto told UCA News.
His union is demanding that the special committee be transparent in finding a solution to the scandal, he said.
“We hope the House of Representatives maintains its commitment to fulfill people’s wishes. If the plenary session’s results are disappointing, we will declare our lack of confidence in the House for not having kept its commitments.”
He said his organization’s position will be declared publicly by all its 61 chapters across the country. “It is not a threat. We just want to maintain the integrity of our nation and improve the performance of the legislature and executive [branch of government],” he said.
Also joining the rally were some Catholic academics including Bony Hargens, a former seminarian and a lecturer at the University of Indonesia.
He told UCA News that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono should also be held responsible for the scandal for not sacking Vice-President Boediono and Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati.
Several members of the special committee say Boediono, a former governor of the Indonesian central bank, and Sri Mulyani are the two figures “mainly responsible” for the scandal since they approved the bailout plan.
Hargens said the scandal is a crime, “therefore, we are taking action until Boediono and Sri Mulyani are dismissed.”
IJ08995.1591 March 3, 2010 47 EM-lines (455 words)
Jesuit backs layman’s fight against graft
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