Bagus BT Saragih, Jakarta – Critics have slammed President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono for his hands-off approach to the impasse involving the Bogor city administration and the Indonesian Christian Church (GKI) Taman Yasmin.

During an interview with a number of journalists on Monday evening, Yudhoyono said that he could not directly interfere in the dispute between GKI Taman Yasmin and the city administration as it was beyond his authority,

"I hope the governor and mayor can completely settle the issue," Yudhoyono said when asked about his position. Yudhoyono said that under the regional autonomy law, the dispute should be handled by the local administration.

He also appeared to downplay the issue. "Such an incident has also happened in other places across the country. This issue has gone on for years," he said.

Lawmaker Eva Kusuma Sundari of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) said she deeply regretted the President's statement.

"The President has used a false argument to give legitimacy to his decision for not getting involved in the dispute. He has even given the lie to his own words that he would enforce the law above everything," Eva told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

A Supreme Court ruling issued in 2010 stipulated that members of GKI Taman Yasmin had the right to practice their faith in their current location because the court guaranteed the legality of the building.

The National Ombudsman Commission has also issued a recommendation to the Bogor city and West Java provincial administrations to obey the Supreme Court ruling and guarantee the congregation's right to hold services at the church.

Bogor Mayor Diani Budiarto, however, insisted that the GKI Taman Yasmin congregation had illegally built the church because the city administration deemed its building permit invalid.

The dispute began after the city revoked the church's building permit on Feb. 14, 2008, two years after it had been issued.

Early in the dispute, the administration cited complaints from local residents about the church's construction, saying the church would become a hub for proselytizing in the Muslim-majority community.

GKI Taman Yasmin spokesperson Bona Sigalingging said Yudhoyono should have done more rather than only uttering the word "hope". "The President could issue an order to abide by the Supreme Court ruling. If he can only hope, then what's the difference between him and ordinary people," he added.

In the meeting with journalists, Yudhoyono also dismissed suggestions that the US$91.21 million procurement project to buy a Boeing Business Jet 2 as a presidential plane represented wasteful spending.

Yudhoyono said that the public might not receive full disclosure of the procurement project.

"Let me make this clear. I have attended numerous international events such as the G-20, APEC, and ASEAN summits and I witnessed that many countries leaders used presidential planes. Some even used big aircraft such as Boeing 747s. Don't you think they have smaller or propeller planes that they might only use for shorter distances?" Yudhoyono said.

"This aircraft will be ready in August 2013 so it is presidents after myself who will use the plane," he said. Yudhoyono is barred by the Constitution from running for a third term once his second term expires in 2014.

Yudhoyono also clarified a number of allegations, including one which accused some of his family members of benefitting from the government's decision to disburse Rp 6.76 trillion ($747.87 million) to the then-ailing Bank Century.

Last month, the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) released the finding from its forensic audit on the Century bailout, which included a disclosure that Yudhoyono's in-law, Hartanto Edhie Wibowo, and his wife, Satya Kumala Sari, had made fictitious foreign exchange transactions worth Rp 1.1 billion.

"The rumor has been circulating that members of my wife's family were involved. My answer is yes, the persons cited by the audit were customers of the bank but it was almost two years before the bank received the bailout money. So they had nothing to do with the alleged wrongdoings surrounding the bailout," Yudhoyono said.

Soon after the event, members of the press also complained about efforts by the Presidential Press Office to stage-manage the question-and-answer session.

Journalists were asked to submit questions two weeks before the interview and during the session only certain journalists were allowed to pose questions.

Points in Yudhoyono's session with journalists

• The President admitted he had met with graft defendant Muhammad Nazaruddin prior to the latter's flight to Singapore. He had been furious in the meeting because Nazaruddin, who was implicated in a major corruption case, refused to resign from his post as Democratic Party treasurer.
• Corruption was the toughest challenge his administrations had ever faced, but claimed the government had made significant improvement in eradicating corruption.
• He said all political parties in Aceh must be involved in the upcoming regional elections in the province to prevent violence and political tension.
• He repeated claims that Indonesia had managed to survive while Western countries had suffered from economic turmoil.
• He opened up the option to increase subsidized-fuel prices.
• He claimed Indonesia's debt-to-GDP ratio was among the world's best, although the amount of the country's foreign debt had continued to rise. - He said he had noted that at least 26 figures had shown an interest in running in the 2014 presidential election, while his Democratic Party had yet to name its candidates.
• He claimed there had been no gross human rights violations during his terms in office.
• He said he was optimistic that Indonesia could maintain a 6.7 percent economic growth rate this year.