DPR Chooses Interpellation for Lapindo Case
Wednesday, 20 February, 2008 | 15:49 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: The House of Representatives (DPR) plenary session has rejected the report of the Monitoring Team for Lapindo Mud Handling.
The participants chose to request a direct explanation from the President as regards the Lapindo mudflows.

“All agreed to choose interpellation (the right of inquiry),” said Soetardjo Soerjogoeritno, the session chairman, who is also a DPR Deputy Chairman, yesterday (19/2).

The Monitoring Team actually was not yet capable of answering what the source was of the mudflows in Porong, Sidoarjo, East Java.

The content of the report, read out by the Team's Deputy Chairman Tjahjo Kumolo, only cited the opinions of several geologists which said that it was a natural event not related to any human acts.

There were may interruptions during the reading of team's report.

Permadi, from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) faction, claimed that the team's report was like the work of PT Lapindo's public relations personnel.
Dissatisfaction was also conveyed by Abdullah Azwar Anas from the National Awakening Party faction.

He said that the team's report did not touch substantial matters, including the payment of the remaining 80 percent compensation (Lapindo has only paid Rp644 billion), the fate of villages outside the affected areas, or legal certainty elements as well as the guarantee that Lapindo will not default on its obligation to pay the compensation.

Soetardjo Soerjogoeritno, the session chairman, then proposed two options: following up on the Monitoring Team's report by interpellation or to extend the work term.

The majority of votes was for interpellation and then the choice was concluded.

“We automatically reject the team's report,” said Djoko Soesilo, from the National Mandate Party (PAN) faction.
From the presidential office, Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Aburizal Bakrie said that the government has never decided that the Lapindo mud is a natural disaster.

“The government is still adhering to the President Regulation No. 14/2007,” said Aburizal.

According to this regulation, Lapindo is responsible for the mud handling costs.

According to Faisal Basri, an economist, the mudflow handling is still the company's responsibility.

He said he suspected that DPR members were steering the case to be declared a natural phenomena.

“You watch are there is any flow of funds to DPR or not,” he said.

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