House of Representatives (DPR) Speaker Setya Novanto, who was in hot water for appearing to support Donald Trump’s US presidential campaign, finds himself once again embroiled in a political scandal.
Yesterday, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Sudirman Said said that a high-ranking politician from within the DPR lied by claiming to act in behalf of President Joko Widodo and Vice President Jusuf Kalla’s to secure shares from gold and copper miner PT Freeport Indonesia in a contract re-negotiation with the US-based company in June.
That politician, according to Sudirman Said, is House Speaker Setya Novanto. Sudirman reported his findings to the DPR Ethics Council yesterday, and is today scheduled to hand over an audio recording of a conversation between Setya and a PT Freeport executive that proves his allegations.
Setya responded to the accusations this morning, denying that he misused the president and vice president’s names in a shady deal with PT Freeport.
Metro TV reported that Setya looked a little teary-eyed and agitated while responding to queries from reporters at the DPR building. Setya denied his involvement in Sudirman’s allegations, saying that he and the president have a unified vision for the prosperity of Indonesians.
“I saw in the media that I misused the president’s name. But what’s clear is that the president and vice president are symbols of the nation that we must respect and protect,” Setya said, as quoted by Detik today.
It’s not yet known when Setya’s ethics hearing will take place.
Speaking on the issue, Vice President Jusuf “JK” Kalla said he and President Jokowi are angered by the allegations, but they’re leaving it to the DPR to decide whether or not Setya Novanto should step down from his position of House Speaker should he be proven guilty. However, JK is open to the possibility that the government would take legal action against Setya.
“After political steps [to punish Setya], we will take legal steps,” JK said today, as quoted by Detik.
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