PDI-P believes anti-bailout bloc will win

One of the sponsors of the House of Representatives' inquiry into the bank Century bailout, Maruarar Sirait of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), says the House’s response to the case had thus far has gone the way of the anti-bailout bloc.

"So, the implication will be that all related law enforcement institutions must follow up the House's final recommendations on the case to the letter," he told reporters Wednesday.

The plenary House session to hear the parties’ response saw five out of nine parties at the House consider the bailout policy flawed.

The parties that are opposed to the bailouts are the Golkar Party, the PDI-P, the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), the Greater Indonesian Movement Party (Gerindra), and the People’s Conscience Party (Hanura).

In total, the anti-government parties consist of 292 lawmakers, or more than a half of 542 legislators currently attending the plenary session that will decide the House’s final stance and recommendation on the Bank Century case. Barring unforeseen changes, the anti-bailout bloc would outvote the pro-bailout bloc, which comprises 216 lawmakers from President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s Democratic Party, the National Mandate Party (PAN) and the National Awakening Party (PKB)

The United Development Party (PPP), as of now, has yet to give any clear stance on the case. Some PPP politicians, however, said there was a strong possibility that their party would shift to the anti-bailout bloc.

The anti-bailout bloc’s win will put Vice President Boediono and Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati in danger.

Boediono, the Bank Indonesia governor when the bailout was issued, and Mulyani authorized the bailout that ten folded to Rp 6.76 trillion (US$716 million) from its original estimation.