Jakarta – Cabinet Secretary Dipo Alam said on Saturday that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono would wait until he received a direct report from Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Djoko Suyanto before responding to the police's attempt to arrest a Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) investigator on Friday.

"There is no omission [regarding the conflict], I am sure. I know the President and there will be no omission regarding KPK issues. There are procedures. What's the rush?" he said after a talk in Jakarta on Saturday.

Dipo added that he believed National Police chief Gen. Timur Pradopo's denial that he did not order the arrest of Comr. Novel Baswedan, a KPK investigator and police officer.

"Why should we call the National Police chief? We always [discuss with him] in regular meetings. He didn't order [the apprehension]. I will not believe [otherwise] until proven," he said.

On the same occasion, Bima Arya Sugiarto, an executive of the National Mandate Party [PAN], urged the President to take necessary measures to avoid public assumption that the government was neglecting efforts to fight malfeasance.

"The President once said that he wanted to lead efforts in eradicating corruption. This is a time where we must wait to see how our commander reacts, and what steps should be taken [by all involved parties]," he said.

Bima added that the President should immediately ease tensions between the police and the KPK, since it had reached a critical stage.

An Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) researcher, Ade Irawan, viewed Friday's stand off as a huge setback and recommended the President intervene. "The conflict between the KPK and the police is a drawback [for the country]. It is benefiting the perpetrators. We are now in a state of precariousness," the source said.

Meanwhile, University of Indonesia political analyst Arbi Sanit suggested that the KPK be given its own investigators to prevent the prolonged stand off from continuing.

The National Police previously said they would withdraw 20 investigators who had been assigned to the commission. However, five of the investigators have opted to stay with the KPK. The National Police's decision was made shortly after Insp. Gen. Djoko Susilo, former chief of the National Police Traffic Corps, was declared a suspect in the driving simulator procurement scandal. (yps/swd)