Team deliberating oil and gas bill meet in Batam, plan to travel abroad
Thursday, August 16 2001 - 02:56 AM WIB
Neraca reported that the meeting was slated to be held on August 18 through 21. And Kompas said that the initiative was not from the House of Representatives' Commission VIII which deals on mining and energy. But the daily did not mention where the initiative came from.
The meeting in Batam will continue the deliberation of the bill, with schedules including playing golf for all participants.
One of the 22 participants in the deliberation, K. Tunggul Sirait, protested the plan, saying if the agenda is to continue the deliberation of the bill, why they should go to Batam.
He questioned the plan as it was never put in the agenda before. All of sudden, the secretariat of the House sent invitations for all members of the team for a trip to Batam.
He also questioned who will finance the trip and the meeting in Batam.
"I was telephoned while I was in Irian Jaya, and found the invitation when I came back to Jakarta," he said.
Meanwhile, the director general of oil and gas at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Rachmat Sudibyo, said the meeting in Batam had nothing to do with the oil and gas bill. Those going to Batam are members of Commission VIII to witness the export of natural gas to Singapore.
When asked why those invited are all 22 members of the team deliberating the oil and gas bill, Rachmat refused to answer and asked Kompas to refer the question to the House.
Meanwhile, the secretary general of the ministry, Djoko Darmono, said he knew nothing about plan to send members of oil and gas bill deliberating team to Batam, but he confirmed about plan to send them overseas.
But Djoko reiterated that plans to send the members abroad had already been scheduled since late 1999. (*)