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resident Susilo Bambang Yu-dhoyono appeared to be in an awkward situation when answering a question from an Australian journalist after the ASEAN Summit in Bali last month.

Although Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa and presidential spokesman Teuku Faizasyah both made moves to help the President, Yudhoyono called for aid from a third adviser.

“Where is Dino? Where is Dino?” the President said, looking for his long-time trusted aide Dino Patti Djalal, now Indonesia’s ambassador to the United States.

Dino came to the fore to explain the question to the President.

Fast forward one month, when Marty was seen standing in the back corner during a ceremony at the State Palace in Jakarta.

Marty’s reticence piqued the interest of observers: The event, the appointment of 26 Indonesian diplomats to overseas postings, should have been the foreign
minister’s show.

A senior diplomat at the event who declined to be named described the situation as “quite uncommon”.

Marty should have stood in the front rows as Yudhoyono swore in the new envoys, given that he would be their direct supervisor, the senior diplomat said.

The sight supported rumors that a rift was emerging between Marty and Yudhoyono, he added.

Faizasyah, however, downplayed such speculation. “I didn’t see anything unusual. [Marty] might have arrived later than the others, so he didn’t get to stand in the front.”

“When the guests are seated,” he continued, “they get designated seats with name cards. If it’s a ceremony where everyone stands, the [palace] protocol office only provides non-designated seating. The people who arrive first can sit up front.”

Faizasyah also denied rumors of a rift. “The foreign minister and the President are on very good relations. There is no problem; it’s all running well.”

The rumor of an emerging rift between the pair emerged after Marty said the US announcement last month of a plan to deploy 2,500 US Marines to the Australian city of Darwin might trigger “tension” and “mistrust” in the region.

US President Barack Obama, who attended the East Asia Summit in Bali shortly after announcing the Darwin plan, reportedly expressed his distaste with Marty’s remarks to Yudhoyono.

Some speculate that Yudhoyono might be planning to replace Marty, with Dino deemed the strongest candidate for his replacement.

Political observer Ikrar Nusa Bhakti said it was “bad timing” for Yudhoyono to make such a move, assuming that the rumors were true.

“If he insists on [the replacement]now, it would trigger a big question for the public, especially after Obama’s reported statement of dislike,” Ikar said.

“It would make it sound as if [Yudhoyono] is a US crony; as if he receives political orders from the US,” Ikrar added.

Meanwhile, TB Hasanuddin, the deputy chairman of House Commission I overseeing foreign affairs, said that Marty deserved to be replaced, citing what he deemed as the foreign minister’s less-than-satisfying performance.