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THE SITE appears inconspicuous, if centrally located, on Jalan Sudirman in Central Jakarta, next to Bank Negara Indonesia's head office in the capital's downtown business district. Mostly empty, it serves as a parking lot by those who frequent the lone Arthaloka Building that stands on it.
Despite its benign appearance, the site has for years been the object of a heated struggle for its control. The conflict has already sent two people to prison, Ina Nasution, a lawyer from Sani, Aminoeddin & Partners law firm, told Tempo last week.
IN THE WAKE of the Constitutional Court's severe curtailing of the House of Representatives' (DPR) power to select its justices, a new suit has been brought before the court that seeks to further mitigate lawmakers' authority over law enforcement institutions. This time it is the DPR's jurisdiction over who sits on the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) and the Judicial Commission (KY) that is under scrutiny.
The plaintiffs are academics from the Indonesian Islamic University (UII) in Yogyakarta. Four court sessions have been held. "We're awaiting the court's decision," Sri Hastuti Puspitasari, one of the judicial review applicants, told Tempo on Wednesday last week.
One of the House of Representatives' (DPR) powers that has been singled out as a major tool for corruption has finally been trimmed back. On Thursday two weeks ago, the Constitutional Court did away with the DPR's authority to 'hold back' and control technicalities in the use of budget funds.
Anti-corruption activists rejoiced. "Corrupt practices have been ongoing as the DPR has had excessive authority in the area of the State's finances," said Erwin Natosmal Oemar, spokesperson for the State's Finances Rescue Team, a coalition of several anti-corruption NGOs.
With a broad smile, Victor Santoso Tandiasa turned to his friends beside him. For a moment they gazed at one another. Then they looked again at the panel of justices to listen to the reading of its decision. "To grant the request in its entirety," Constitutional Court Chief Justice Hamdan Zoelva said as he read it out on Monday last week.
Despite their joy, Victor and his peers could not promptly rise from their seats to celebrate their victory. They still had to heed the three dissenting justices' opinions. "We appreciate the decision. This is our third victory at the Constitutional Court," Victor told Tempo on Thursday last week.
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