Muninggar Sri Saraswati – Calls to suspend Vice President Boediono and Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati were malicious attempts to oust the two professionals from their posts, political observers said on Sunday as they voiced support for the president's appeal to dismiss such recommendations.

Political analyst Burhanuddin Muhtadi of the Indonesian Survey Institute (LSI) said on Sunday that the suspension calls from the House of Representatives' Special Committee probing the bailout of PT Bank Century last year, had the "clear aim" to push Boediono and Sri Mulyani out of their coveted positions.

"The calls came too early, considering that Boediono and Sri Mulyani have yet to testify before the committee. The inquiry is still a far cry from legal investigation proceedings," Burhanuddin said, adding that he thought the committee was politically driven and he doubted it could maintain its objectivity.

"Neither Vice President Boediono nor Finance Minister Sri Mulyani have to be temporarily suspended or discharged" during the investigation, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono told a press conference on Friday in Copenhagen, Denmark, where he was attending the UN climate talks. Yudhoyono said there was no legal basis for suspending the officials.

The president said he came to that view after talking to both Boediono and Sri Mulyani, who assured him that they could carry out their duties while being investigated by the House committee. He added that having them step aside would harm the economy.

Among Sri Mulyani's fiercest political critics is controversial businessman Aburizal Bakrie, chairman of the Golkar Party. The pair have clashed over numerous issues and the Tax Directorate, overseen by Sri Mulyani, is currently investigating alleged tax evasion involving three companies from Aburizal's Bakrie group of companies.

Calls in the special committee in favor of the suspensions rose mainly from the factions from Golkar, the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra), National Mandate Party (PAN) and National Awakening Party (PKB).

Political observer Arbi Sanit, from the University of Indonesia, was skeptical about the committee, calling it "a political drama" outwardly aimed at satisfying public expectations.

"They appear to act in the name of the people while they actually do it for personal and party interests," he said. Arbi pointed to the House committees for other cases that resulted in "nothing significant but political brouhaha," despite the fact that they were financed by taxpayer money.

The House has allocated Rp 2.7 billion ($286,000) for the special committee investigating the Bank Century case, which is expected to conclude its probe and present its recommendations by early February.

Constitutional law expert Refly Harun, of the Center for Electoral Reform (Cetro), also backed the president's move, saying the committee "had gone too far."

"It appears that they spend their energy too much on calls to suspend those figures," he said. "They seem to forget that the main issue is investigating corruption over the bailout."