President “blames” media for Dems brouhaha

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono says the media has created the brouhaha surrounding the Democratic Party by exaggerating allegations received in text messages.

“All the allegations surrounding Democratic Party members are based on text messages and BBM [BlackBerry] messages sent by ‘someone’. They have becomes headlines in the mass media,” Yudhoyono said at a press conference on Monday at his home in Cikeas, West Java.

The President was referring to allegations that Democratic Party chairman Anas Urbaningrum won his position through vote-buying.

A local media reported the allegations quoting a fugitive graft suspect and former Democratic Party treasurer Muhammad Nazaruddin.

According to Yudhoyono, the media’s report was based on information from an “unknown” source who was clearly aiming at pitting Democratic Party members against each another.

Yudhoyono characterized the situation as irresponsible political intrigue. “It aims at ruining mutual trust among Democratic Party members so the party can be destroyed.”

The President asked law enforcement officers to determine the source of the text messages and instructed anyone who had information of Nazaruddin’s whereabouts to come forward.