Febriamy Hutapea – The Prosperous Justice Party, which broke ranks with the Democratic Party-led coalition during the legislative probe into the bailout of Bank Century, is accusing the government of using law enforcers to strike back at it and other rivals.

Anis Matta, secretary general of the party also known as the PKS, said the government had overstepped its bounds by using the police, state prosecutors and the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) to threaten its critics.

"It makes the legal process less objective. There are several past cases that have been brought up again after they had been dismissed several times," said Anis, who is also deputy speaker of the House of Representatives. He cited a case brought against PKS lawmaker Mukhamad Misbakhun regarding allegations he owed Bank Century $22 million.

Apparently at the behest of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, the National Police this month launched an investigation into Mukhamad, who was one of the driving forces behind the creation of the House special committee that investigated the bailout of the bank. "Mukhamad's case is being used to pressure the PKS," Anis said.

The investigations into alleged bribery related to the appointment of Miranda Goeltom as Bank Indonesia deputy governor in 2004, Anis said, were also part of the government's reprisals. He questioned why the case was getting renewed attention when it was first brought to light by a former lawmaker of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), Agus Condro Prayitno, in 2008.

Last month, Bachtiar Chamsyah, a former minister of social affairs and the advisory board chairman of the United Development Party (PPP), another coalition party that broke ranks with Yudhoyono's Democrats, was named as a suspect in a case investigating Rp 26 billion ($2.9 million) in state losses from two procurement projects while he was minister in 2004.

Anis said that bringing up past legal cases to threaten government rivals could backfire and damage the public's trust in the rule of law.

"Many of these cases are not purely legal cases, but have been politicized," he said. "If this keeps happening, it will ultimately damage the state's reform program."

But Lili Romli, a political analyst from the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), said the current review of past legal cases was a "blessing in disguise."

"As long as the investigations don't stop here, I see the positive side in that many cases can now be processed," he said. "The more cases that are revealed, the better it is for law enforcement."

Maswadi Rauf, a political analyst from University of Indonesia, said that while he encouraged the government to pursue graft cases, it should not use the cases to intimidate political rivals. "It's not fair if the legal institutions are being used to threaten them," he said.