Febriamy Hutapea – Political parties are lining up to remove Vice President Boediono and Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati from their much sought-after positions and replace them with their own party members, a political observer warned.
Arbi Sanit, from the University of Indonesia, said on Wednesday that although the House of Representatives' special committee probing the controversial bailout of PT Bank Century would not dare to touch President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, the respected technocrats were ready targets because each party had a vested interest in filling the senior positions with its own members.
"They will be the first victims," Arbi said, adding that Yudhoyono could also conceivably sacrifice Boediono and Sri Mulyani to save himself.
State administrative expert Irman Putra Sidin, speaking during a discussion at the Regional Representatives Council (DPD) on the political implications of the probe, said the investigation should be focused on why the government insisted on the Rp 6.7 trillion ($710 million) bailout.
"If the committee directs its investigation toward the banking crimes or money trail, it will be useless. It will only be used as a way to exploit the case for their own interests," he said. "The committee should find out whether there was any abuse of power in the decision to bail out the bank."
Irman said that if there was a constitutional violation, the House should let the Constitutional Court rule on the issue and decide what action to take against the government.
"If it proves a violation, the president should be removed," he added.
Bambang Soesatyo, a member of the House special committee from the Golkar Party, acknowledged there had been a dilemma over coalition ties with Yudhoyono's Democratic Party, but said his duty to the people came before any political dealings.
He promised, however, that he would remove himself from the committee if its investigation was turned into a political tool.
"I'm ready to resign if that scenario unfolds," he said.
Jhon Pieres, a DPD member representing Maluku, said he was "very pessimistic" regarding the committee's ability to get to the bottom of the scandal.
"It's really difficult for Golkar to confront the Democrats, especially with the appointment of Idrus Marham, who is very close with Yudhoyono, as the committee chairman," he said.
He went as far as to say the committee was a "waste of political energy and money," adding that radical steps were needed to educate the people about the country's political and legal systems.