Markus Junianto Sihaloho & Ulma Haryanto – Top officials of the Democratic Party, after dismissing allegation of graft among its cadres made by Muhammad Nazaruddin, said on Wednesday that the rogue former treasurer was being used by someone intent on discrediting the party.
Gede Pasek Suardika, a member of the party's leadership board, said an investigation by the party found Nazaruddin did not act alone in using inaccurate information to attack Democrats.
Pasek said a person he dubbed "Mr. L" was working with a "Mr. A," who was identified by another senior Democrat, Ramadhan Pohan, as being responsible for a text message claiming to have come from Nazaruddin that threatened to expose the "rot" involving Democrats. Among those named in the text message was the party's chairman, Anas Urbaningrum.
Pasek said the party's investigation found Mr. L gave instructions to Mr. A. "By exploiting Nazaruddin, they are aiming to weaken the popularity of President SBY, lower our vote at the next election, and scuttle any attempt at making Anas Urbaningrum a potential candidate for national leadership," Pasek said, referring to Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, a Democrat.
Ramadhan, the party's deputy secretary general, said Nazaruddin was "dancing to the beat of someone else's drum". "Nazaruddin is being provoked by someone. It was very surprising that he took it as far as slandering Anas. What he did to the Democrats was outrageous," Ramadhan said.
He claimed the person behind Nazaruddin's attacks on fellow Democrats, who he said was a party outsider, had an agenda to defame the Democratic Party and Yudhoyono. "Of that, we are certain. But we will not say [who the person is]," Ramadhan said.
He claimed that his party had not had any recent contact with Nazaruddin. "It's been at least a week since there was any communication with Nazaruddin," Ramadhan said. Pasek dismissed Nazaruddin's claims as "only lies," accusing him of a history of speaking untruths.
He said Nazaruddin had claimed publicly not to know Mindo Rosalina Manulang, a broker arrested by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) over alleged links to bribes paid to Ministry of Youth and Sports officials over the building of an athletes' village in Palembang. Nazaruddin, he said, later admitted to a close relationship with Mindo.
Nazaruddin had also publicly claimed he never met with Janedri M. Gaffar, the secretary general of the Constitutional Court, but later admitted the two had met.
"His best lie is the claim about the Rp 9 billion ($1 million) bribe from the Sports and Youth Affairs Ministry's project. First he said it was Rp 9 billion, then he changed the amount to Rp 7 billion. Now, he claims the bribe was Rp 2 billion for Anas Urbaningrum and Rp 4 billion for Andi Mallarangeng. He keeps changing his claim. Why? Because it is a lie," Pasek said.
Pasek said the party had received complaints about Nazaruddin using the reputations of Yudhoyono, Anas or the party itself for his own benefit. Nazaruddin could not be reached for comment.