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Boediono gives politicians the cold shoulder
Vice President Boediono said he would focus on doing his job before ending his term next year and not bother himself with the âpolitical circusâ at the House of Representatives
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ice President Boediono said he would focus on doing his job before ending his term next year and not bother himself with the 'political circus' at the House of Representatives.
The vice president is now under severe political pressure ahead of the 2014 elections with lawmakers demanding that he be held accountable for the 2008 Bank Century bailout case.
A House team tasked with overseeing the criminal probe into the bailout case insisted on summoning Boediono following his questioning by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) last month.
The KPK has detained Boediono's former colleague at Bank Indonesia (BI), Budi Mulya, for his alleged role in the Bank Century case, sparking speculation it was just a matter of time before the antigraft body named the vice president as a suspect as well. Several politicians have suggested that he resign to avoid impeachment.
Yopie Hidayat, Boediono's spokesman, said the vice president would ignore the politicians' maneuvering as the legal proceeding regarding Century was solely in the hands of the KPK. 'Politics is a circus. The truth in legal terms is absolute, while the truth in politics is relative. In politics, the truth can be determined by a vote,' he told The Jakarta Post recently.
Yopie said Boediono, whom he said would not seek any political posts after 2014, had been targeted because he was not a politician. 'He is an easy target as he has no political party and mass organization. The political cost of attacking Boediono is zero.'
When asked if Boediono felt he had been left alone in dealing with Century scandal, Yopie said the vice the president never felt that way as he was not a politician, but a technocrat.
The lawmakers have stepped up pressure on Boediono after he refused to answer the House's summons.
On Saturday, Hendrawan Supratikno of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) said it was just a matter of time before the KPK charged Boediono.
He said that based on the 1999 Bank Indonesia Law, decision making at BI was collegial and therefore Boediono should also be held responsible for the Rp 6.7 trillion (US$572.89 million) bailout, as the KPK had charged Budi Mulya, who was Boediono's deputy when he headed the central bank.
Outspoken lawmaker Bambang Soesatyo of the Golkar Party said the Bank Century monitoring team was set up to ensure the legal process in the Century case ran smoothly. 'Such summoning is an integral part of the monitoring role,' Bambang said.
He said that bringing Boediono before the House would not disrupt the KPK investigation into the case. 'All parties are trying to solve the case, whether in the legal process by the KPK or in the political process by the House.'
Previously, the Democratic Party (PD) criticized the team for summoning Boediono, saying it would disrupt the ongoing investigation currently being carried out by the antigraft body.
'The role of the monitoring team is to supervise the ongoing KPK investigation, not to take the investigation into its own hands. The team will only create unnecessary commotion aimed at boosting the House's popularity,' party spokesman Ikhsan Modjo said.
