IO, Jakarta – The 6th President of the Republic of Indonesia, also the General Chairman of the Democrat Party, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, also known by the initials “SBY”, is under the limelight after he expressed his opinion concerning the latest development in the corruption case at PT Asuransi Jiwasraya (a state owned insurance company). As posted on his Facebook page, SBY claims that he was surprised at the House of Representative’s (“DPR”) intent to form a special task force to look into the Jiwasraya issue.
He claimed that the target for this task force is to bring down a number of prominent officials, including former Minister of SOE Rini Soemarno, current SOE Minister Erick Thohir, and Minister of Finance Sri Mulyani Indrawati. “President Jokowi must also be involved. When I heard this news, even though it may not be true or accurate, I need to state my stance.” “It is bad and wrong if we start something by setting up a suspicious target,” SBY said in his status, titled “How resolving the Jiwasraya case will save the country from a bigger crisis”.
In response to SBY’s statement, Presidential Spokesman Fadjroel Rachman appreciates SBY’s stance as a national figure. According to him, SBY’s statement is an important lesson. Fadjroel further stated that the Presidential Palace is open for inputs and criticism, whether internal or external. SBY’s stance prove that our democratic system works. To SBY, (Partai Keadilan Sejahtera – “PKS”), non-party people, we thank you. Again, this means that democracy works in this country. There is no bad treatment for critics in Indonesia,” he said at the Presidential Palace, Jakarta, on Wednesday (29/01/2020).
Apart from the Palace, the Great Indonesia Movement (Gerakan Indonesia Raya – “Gerindra”) Party stated that the Parliament takes care as not to bring each other down. “We have not heard anything that could bring us down, and there is no such thing for us. Why would we want to bring down any minister?” Gerindra’s Vice General Chairman and DPR Deputy Speaker Sufmi Dasco Ahmad said when contacted on Wednesday (29/01/2020).
Dasco further stated that his Party does not want to speculate on the validity of such statement. The important thing for him is that Gerindra should work professionally to reinstate the dignity of Jiwasraya. “We have not heard Mr. SBY saying that personally. We need to scrutinize each statement, and we must remain aware in order not to be carried away by any bad intent. What matters is that Gerindra remains professional – we need to look for a way to return the lost money, to improve Jiwasraya’s future performance, and ensure that the law is enforced,” he said.
Meanwhile, PDIP politician Andreas Hugo Pareira stated that SBY’s statement may not be true. After all, the sole authority to dismiss a minister lies in the hands of the President. “Maybe Mr. SBY is still stuck in the shadows of his past,” he said. “He (SBY) is accustomed to making analytical statements, and the current statement is strongly related to his past political decisions. Naturally, in this capacity, SBY’s analysis is inseparable from his subjectivity as both a party chairman and a former president, one who used to make political decisions in the past.” (Dan)