Arientha Primanita – The Yudhoyono administration has denied rumors it bribed university rectors to curb student protests against the government's plan to raise the price of subsidized fuel.

Presidential spokesman Julian Aldrin Pasha said the rumors, which originated from the House of Representatives building, could hurt the credibility of both the government and educational institutions.

"It indirectly degrades those who were accused of accepting bribes. Those people are leaders in their institutions or in student activity institutions," Julian told BeritaSatu.com on Monday.

Julian acknowledged the government had met rectors to discuss spreading awareness of the fuel price rise in a meeting coordinated by the Ministry of Education and Culture.

Rumors have circulated that Hatta Rajasa, the coordinating minister for the economy, met with 12 rectors at the Education Ministry. The meeting allegedly focused on efforts to curb student demonstrations against the fuel price rise, and Hatta was said to have offered 60 family travel packages each worth Rp 300 million ($33,000) in total.

Hatta has denied the accusations and threatened to report those responsible for spreading the rumors. "Whoever is involved should be caught and be processed according to the law," he said.

Hatta defended the integrity of Indonesia's rectors and said the nation's education leaders would not be so easily influenced. "Rectors have freedom and are well respected and they are highly rational," he said.

Julian said the rumors were launched by irresponsible people who were ignorant about the policy, which will involve the price of subsidized fuel rising by 33 percent beginning on April 1. "We believe this was launched by a few people who don't care about what the government and the Indonesian people are facing," he said.

Education and Culture Minister Muhammad Nuh also denied the rumors. He said the allegations were unrealistic both in terms of the ethical breach it would constitute, and the sheer infeasibility of moving the alleged travel package funds undetected.

"There's no program from the Coordinating Ministry for the Economy regarding a travel package to curb demonstrations on the fuel price hike," Nuh said at a press conference on Monday.

Julian also denied rumors that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono would be taking members of universities' student executive bodies (BEM) with him on his state visit to China on Thursday. The spokesman said he had checked the trip roster and didn't find any students on the list.

"It might be possible that they were invited by other institutions related to youth or student activities. But it was certainly not from the government," he said.

Nuh also said a meeting last week between three ministers and students wasn't aimed at repressing rallies but it was a dialogue about how to conduct safe and orderly demonstrations. The three ministers who attended the meeting were Hatta, Nuh and Djoko Suyanto, the coordinating minister for political, legal and defense affairs.

[Additional reporting from SP/Natasia Christy Wahyuni and Antara.]