Erwida Maulia, Jakarta – Three political parties are in a war of words with the Palace after Presidential aides reported attempts to lobby the president, allegedly to clear party members of legal charges, in return for support on the bailout.
The Golkar Party, the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) and the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) all denied such allegations, accusing his "special envoys" who they said had lobbied the parties, as being "improper" and "unprofessional" in their approach.
These sharp exchanges were made by the parties in response to statements made by the presidential expert staff team member on legal affairs, Denny Indrayana, who said Saturday that certain parties had allegedly proposed to change their positions on the Century case if President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono helped them drop legal cases against some of their members.
Denny refused to specify names or legal cases, but the development of the bailout case and the alleged involvement of certain party members said to be involved in legal cases had drawn the political spotlight onto Golkar, the PKS and the PDI-P, among others.
A member of the House of Representatives' inquiry committee on the Century case, Bambang Soesatyo told The Jakarta Post Sunday that Denny's accusations were just the result of his "imagination".
"If it's not, why doesn't he mention the names and point a finger towards which parties he meant," Bambang said. "If he can't, perhaps he's only trying to cover an attempt to defame parties unwilling to conceal alleged crimes in the Bank Century case," he added.
Bambang even said the lobbying by the President's aides had been "unrealistic" and "counterproductive".
Fachri Hamzah of the PKS focused his criticism on the special envoys rather than on the President.
"The special envoys have one-sidedly turned into the Yudhoyono's lobbyists and hitmen. This personal agenda of the special staff has tainted the image of the presidential institution and the President himself.
"The PKS asks the President to replace these improper and unprofessional special staff," Fachri said in a text message to the Post.
Denny and presidential spokesman Julian Aldrin Pasha refused to confirm the President's lobbying activities ahead of the House plenary session on the bailout case, scheduled for Tuesday.
Media reports have revealed, however, that at least Andi Arief, the presidential expert staff team member on social issues and disaster mitigation, and Velix Wanggai, the presidential expert staff member on regional autonomy and development, have both been dispatched to approach senior politicians in alleged attempts to change the political position of parties on the bailout case.
Golkar and the PKS, despite their membership of the Yudhoyono-led coalition government, have maintained their defiant political positions by naming Vice President Boediono and Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati as among those responsible for the troubled and possibly wrongful bailout policy and subsequent alleged mishandling of its implementation.