President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said he had no personal qualms with the Yogyakarta governor, despite his attempt to seek an amendment of a law that autimatically bestows the title of governor to the Yogyakarta sultan.

“There are no problems between me and the Sultan,” Yudhoyono said Friday at award ceremony honoring, among others, Hamengkubuwono X for his success in implementing the government’s food resilience program. The award is the second for Hamengkubowono X this week from the President. He received a similar recognition on Thursday for his contributions to education.

“I respect the Sultan and the Sultan respects me — but our supposed rift continues to make headlines,” the President added.

Hamengkubuwono X has voiced similar sentiments, citing  a “non-existent” conflict between him and Yudhoyono.

The President sparked controversy after saying last week that a monarchy was not compatible with Indonesia’s democratic system, prompting public outcry, especially from Yogyakarta residents.

A Cabinet meeting on Thursday concluded with Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Djoko Suyanto publicly stating that the government was drafting a bill that would give the Yogyakarta sultan special privileges, except for an automatic appointment as head of the province.

Yudhoyono said he hoped the bill could be passed into law before Hamengkubuwono X ended his term as governor in October 2011.

Home Minister Gamawan Fauzi said Friday that members of Yogyakarta’s royal house would be allowed to run for governor.

“The Sultan can be governor if he wants. He can nominate himself as governor and automatically be a candidate. If there are no other candidates, he will automatically become the governor and will still be entitled to several privileges,” Gamawan said.

Emotions ran high in Yogyakarta upon hearing the announcement. Rallies and protests, albeit generally calm and peaceful, were staged in different locations.

A rapidly mobilized group protesting the government’s plan, the Universal Yogyakarta People’s Movement (Gentaraja), claimed to have gathered 1,100 sharpened bamboos to be distributed to Yogyakarta residents who were determined to maintain the special status of the sultanate in the republic.

Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) regional autonomy expert Siti Zuhroh praised the central government’s proposition of positioning Sultan Hamengkubuwono X and Sri Pakualam IX, the head of a lesser royal house in the sultanate, as “protectors” of Yogyakarta because it would distance them from politics, which is often perceived as dirty.

“By placing the Sultan above politics, people would be freer to discuss important matters with him without questioning his political interests,” she said.

Apart from his role as Yogyakarta governor, Sultan Hamengkubuwono X is also a member of the Golkar Party.

Siti said the government should have consulted with the people of Yogyakarta before going public with its idea. Public consultation would have allayed a lot of fear and anger, she said.

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