SBY’s aide slams back at ex-advisor

Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Djoko Suyanto urged former head of the presidential advisory council Adnan Buyung Nasution to hold his comments on the Bank Century bailout case.

“Pak Buyung should try to understand the substance of the issue before making comments that may not ‘educate’ the public,” Djoko said on the phone from Palembang, South Sumatra, where he joined President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in commemorating National Press Day.

“The public needs clear information, thorough analysis and accurate statements [on the issue] instead of mere postulating,” he added.

Djoko responded to an earlier statement by Buyung, who had said that Yudhoyono should take responsibility for the the Bank Century bailout if the decision to salvage the bank was in line with state policy.

Buyung urged the President to be brave enough to explain to the public the government’s decision to inject Rp 6.76 trillion (US$716 million) into the bank in order to end the protracted debate at the House of Representatives, which has been working on the case for two months.

The lawyer-cum-activist warned that the President’s inaction and failure to publicly respond to the case would create more difficulties for his officials, including Vice President Boediono and Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati, who have been bombarded by the House’s inquiry committee recently.

Buyung also suggested the inquiry committee summon Yudhoyono over his possible link to the  bailout, in order to answer why Mulyani, who was also chief of the Financial System Stability Committee (KSSK), then Bank Indonesia governor Boediono and then KSSK secretary Raden Pardede made such a decision.

Djoko also slammed Buyung’s statement on the presidential fact-finding team, where the latter was appointed as the head of the team.

The team was set up to probe into the alleged framing of Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) deputies Bibit Samad Rianto and Chandra M. Hamzah. The issue highlighted the conflict between the KPK on one side and the Na-tional Police and the Attorney’s General Office on the other side that created the popular Crocodile vs Gecko saga.

“The team was only tasked to give recommendations to the President. The decisions made not only based on its inputs but also from other state institutions’,” Djoko said.