Donny Syofyan, Padang – Democratic Party executives are supposed to question themselves over the party's politicians getting entangled in corruption. Much to everyone's surprise, the party's patron, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, last week put the blame on the media, accusing media organizations of destroying the party's image. Furthermore, he oppugned press credibility.

Many criticized the statement and were confused at his capacity either as the leader of the Democratic Party or as President.

Despite his right to voice his disagreement with certain media reports, the fact that the complaint came from the President could be seen as an attempt to influence coverage.

President Yudhoyono's statement risks losing support and confidence from the public. It suggests that President Yudhoyono is committing political suicide when it comes to blaming the media. Several matters appear to prove this analysis.

First, the President fails to regard media as his critical partner. Frankly speaking, media has played a significant role in defending him from being victimized under Megawati Soekarnoputri's administration and in promoting him as the sole public presidential candidate in 2004.

The media helped him to the top of the political stage since the public placed high hopes in him. Yudhoyono really turned out to be "someone".

Yet, the media has its own yardstick and code. What the press reports are hard facts. Media reports on former Democratic Party treasurer Muhammad Nazaruddin, a fugitive suspect in a corruption case, are the facts commonly known by the public and none of them are fictitious.

Rather than scapegoating the media for dividing his party, President Yudhoyono would be better-off appreciating it for disclosing rotten politicians within the party instead.

Cooperating with the media will not only save the President from being set up by "yes sir" policies, but also allow him to stay firm with long-term public-oriented decisions.

No less important, a critical relation between the President and the media renders long-life democracy and cuts off the status quo. Hence, pointing a finger at the press would harm the President and society as well.

President Yudhoyono and other government officials who believed they had been unfairly singled out by the press may lodge their complaints with the Press Council. Addressing unfair news reports with the existing system is much better than using their political position to express their disagreement with the press.

Second, blaming the press may be seen as efforts to divert the public's attention from the main issue. There is a tendency that blaming the media is a smart way to boost the dying party's image and achieve public sympathy.

However, Yudhoyono should not ignore the fact that our people are getting smart and impatient with unresolved cases. Distracting main political issues, such as corruption and the Democratic Party's internal friction, could reduce the approval rating of Yudhoyono and his Cabinet.

Intensive media reports on the President and his government's tendency to distract from unfinished political issues would only fuel apathy among the people. Voters are no longer concerned with policy debates and many kinds of policy issues introduced by the government.

Third, Yudhoyono's criticism of media reflects his decreasing political imagery. There has been public disappointment over the President's endless political imagery.

Accusing the press of damaging his party's image, to a serious extent, gives the public the impression that the President is neither bright enough nor prudent. Indeed, the mass media has contributed to President Yudhoyono's political image owing to a combination of his determination to gain political power and the high public expectations placed on him.

Yet, this political image boomeranged as the media saw the President as slowing down in managing political cases involving his aides and friends in the government, parliament and the party.

Instead of denouncing the press, Yudhoyono should transform his "image building approach" into swift action. He could restore the public's trust by involving the media to improve his Cabinet ministers' performance.

The media, for instance, could campaign for "minister of the month" or "minister of the year" title, judging from public satisfaction and extraordinary innovation. Certainly, this cooperation bodes well for the President since the media takes part in supporting him in fighting and having zero tolerance for wrongdoings and misuse of power.

The President needs to ask the media to cooperate with him to lay out all the country's problems on the table for the public to discuss. The public, then, will see a dynamism in politics in Indonesia.

With the debacle of involving the press, politicians often hide the problems under the table and avoid talking about specific issues in detail.

Lastly, blaming the media would simply allow the President to be more interested in political coverage on the media than the contents of the reports themselves.

[The writer, a graduate of the University of Canberra, is a lecturer at Andalas University, Padang.]