Rendi A. Witular and Ina Parlina, Jakarta – In what appears to be the first salvo against the Yudhoyonos, former Democratic Party chairman Anas Urbaningrum hinted on Wednesday at the involvement of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's youngest son, Edhie "Ibas" Baskoro, in a graft case.
Anas has accused Law and Human Rights Minister Amir Syamsuddin, another of the party's senior politicians, of having knowledge of the flow of money from the Hambalang affair, including knowing about money received by Ibas.
Amir was a member of the party's ethics council who, in May 2011, questioned then party treasurer, Muhammad Nazaruddin, about a plethora of graft cases, including Hambalang. Nazaruddin alleges that numerous politicians accepted bribes in the scandal for which he was sentenced to seven years' imprisonment.
"Pak Amir is the right person to tell the story. If he refuses to do so, then I will be in the position to replace him in explaining it," Anas told The Jakarta Post.
The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) is in the process of investigating the Hambalang project, and named former youth and sports minister Andi Mallarangeng, a member of Yudhoyono's inner circle, as a suspect late last year.
The KPK also named Anas a suspect on Friday for accepting gratuities or making promises related to several projects, including the Hambalang sports center, which cost more than Rp 1.7 trillion (US$177 million) in taxpayers' money.
Anas' statement may signal his seriousness in uncovering the manifold malfeasance of his party colleagues in general and of the President's family in particular, as foreshadowed in his press conference on Saturday when he stepped down as party chair.
Anas claims he knew that he would be named before the KPK's announcement, suggesting that it was part of a systematic plot to oust him as party chairman. The politician said the KPK's decision to name him was not the end of his battle.
"Today, I am making it clear that this is just the beginning and still very far from the end. Like a book, we have merely flipped open the first page. There are so many pages waiting to be turned, for our own good.
"In the coming days, this party will be tested. We will see if it really adheres to its 'clean, smart and ethical' slogan. We will learn if it is, instead, just the opposite," he went on.
Since Anas took the chair of the party from Hadi Utomo, Yudhoyono's brother-in-law, in 2010, he has emerged relatively unscathed from numerous attempted coups.
Party sources have insisted that Yudhoyono, the party's founder and chief patron, sees Anas as the "unwanted son" and wanted Andi to lead the party instead.
Factions within the party, such as the supporters of Andi and senior politicians who contributed to the founding of the party, have pressurized Yudhoyono to dismiss Anas.
Yudhoyono's delicate approach toward Anas is thought to be rooted in concerns that Anas would receive a great deal of public sympathy and risk alienating the widespread support Anas enjoys among the party's regional members.
In response to Anas' allegations, Minister Amir said there had been no mention of Ibas' name during Nazaruddin's questioning.
"Tales told by Anas are not true. There was indeed a meeting of the ethics council to question Nazaruddin at that time. The idea to hold the meeting came from Anas, but there was no mentions of Ibas' name," Amir told The Jakarta Post over the telephone.
"So we are confused if he [Anas] was talking about the involvement of Ibas, or even Ibu," Amir said. Ibu refers to First Lady Ani Yudhoyono.
Ibas also denies Anas' allegations of accepting money from the Hambalang project. "These allegations are like broken records that have been repeatedly played, and force me to reaffirm my innocence despite the fact that I know nothing about the case. I hope the public can see this clearly without being influenced by the wrong opinions," said Ibas, who is the secretary-general of the party.
"I have a lot of respect for Mas Anas, but I hope from now on he will be fully focused on the legal problems he is facing, and refrain from issuing dubious opinions to the public," Ibas said, adding that he hoped the KPK would be transparent in investigating the case.
[Margareth S. Aritonang and Hans David Tampubolon contributed to this story]