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Mayhem at Indon Parliament
[Straits Times] A DEBATE in Parliament over the final report on the controversial Bank Century bailout yesterday ended with a brawl in the House and police firing tear gas on demonstrators outside.A vote on whether to hold Vice-President Boediono and Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati responsible for the affair is expected to be held today. Yesterday's report faulted Dr Boediono, who was then Bank Indonesia Governor, for providing short-term funding for the bank before the bailout. It also found that Dr Sri Mulyani, as chairman of the Financial System Stability Committee, approved the bailout that cost the government 6.7 trillion rupiah (S$1 billion), five times more than the amount authorised by Parliament. Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has defended his two officials and taken responsibility for the bailout. 'Although I did not make the decision or give the order, I would say the move was correct,' he told reporters on Monday. The ruckus in Parliament occurred shortly after the chairman of the inquiry committee Idrus Marham read out the final report of its three month long investigation into the scandal. Several legislators demanded the right to speak as Mr Idrus, who is Golkar's secretary-general, presented conflicting views that betrayed the split within his 30-member inquiry committee. Posted by: Fred 2010-03-03 |
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