The House of Representatives committee of inquiry into the Bank Century bailout reacted coldly to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's rejection of the committee's call to suspend Vice President Boediono and Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati.
Idrus Marham, the committee chairman, said the committee would continue investigations according to schedule but that the public would voice their own opinions on events.
"We have no problems with the President rejecting our request, but the public may see it differently. Our request applied to all witnesses, including Boediono and Sri Mulyani *and not to the President*. It's the witnesses' prerogative whether they choose to be voluntarily inactive pending our investigation," he said Saturday.
The President said on the sidelines of the ongoing United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen that it was unnecessary for the Vice President and the finance minister to be temporarily suspended as there was no legal obligation for it.
The committee Thursday called for the suspension of Boediono and Sri Mulyani to allow them to freely testify before the committee and to facilitate the political investigation.
Sri Mulyani was scheduled to be questioned by the committee on Monday and Boediono was invited to testify on Tuesday.
The committee agreed to issue the call for their suspension after Sri Mulyani forbade the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) from handing over recordings of the Nov. 21, 2008, Financial Sector Policy Committee (KKSK) meeting where the decision to bail out the bank was made.
Maruarar Sirait, a committee member from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), said his party was not using the political investigation to cover a hidden agenda.
"The President has confidence in the decision he has made and so do we. We issued the call in our bid to maintain the public's trust of the political investigation," he said after a political discussion Saturday.
Maruarar denied his party had a political agenda to topple Boediono and Sri Mulyani and enter negotiations with the President to control several ministerial posts in the new Cabinet.
The PDI-P would remain consistent with its political stance of being critical of the government's policy and actions in running the administration, he said.
The committee's call for the suspension of the two senior officials has been controversial, especially among political analysts and the President's political coalition.
University of Indonesia political analyst Boni Hargens said the President's rejection indicated the government's unwillingness to engage in a thorough investigation into the Rp 6.76 trillion (US$716 million) bailout.
Indonesian Survey Institution (LSI) political analyst Burhanuddin Muchtadi lauded the President's rejection of the committee's call as appropriate because the President had no constitutional obligation to suspend the two officials and the inquiry committee had no right to issue such a call.
"The call is indicative of the committee's weak grasp of the legal system," he said, adding that in this case, only the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) had the authority to request a suspension, and only after the officials had been named suspects.
The former chairman of the National Mandate Party (PAN), Amien Rais, said he could understand the President's rejection but that the President should also accept the committee's call, which, although unconstitutional, was moral.
The National Awakening Party (PKB) and Democratic Party have also expressed their objection to the proposed suspension of Boediono and Sri Mulyani, which they said was unconstitutional.
PDI-P chairman Tjahjo Kumolo said his party would maintain the committee's open-door meetings in carrying out the inquiry to allow the public to monitor proceedings.
