TheJakartaPost

Please Update your browser

Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.

Jakarta Post

'€˜Kick Andy'€™ cancels President SBY interview

In the twilight of his presidency, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono continues to be embroiled in controversy

Ina Parlina (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Sun, March 23, 2014 Published on Mar. 23, 2014 Published on 2014-03-23T11:17:26+07:00

Change text size

Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone

Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!

I

n the twilight of his presidency, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono continues to be embroiled in controversy.

Over the past week, the Twittersphere has been abuzz with talk of popular talk show Kick Andy calling of its interview with the President as he was too demanding.

The show, which airs on Metro TV and is known for drawing attention to ordinary but inspiring people who make a difference in their communities, said that it had to cancel the interview because the President'€™s people objected to its list of questions.

Agus Muladi, the show'€™s producer, tweeted on Thursday via his account, @Agus_Mulyadi, that the questions related to former Democratic Party chairman Anas Urbaningrum, the Bank Century scandal and the First Family.

Anas, now regarded as Yudhoyono'€™s political rival, has been making scathing allegations against the President following his detention by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) on his alleged involvement in the Hambalang graft case. Anas has also been insinuating that Yudhoyono was involved in the Century bailout and that he had ordered him to deal with the House of Representatives'€™ inquiry into the mega scandal back in 2010.

Agus'€™ tweets have raised public curiosity over the reasons behind Yudhoyono'€™s refusal to confront the sensitive questions.

Agus said that Andy F. Noya, the show'€™s host, and his team had been lobbying Yudhoyono for more than a year. Andy initially rejected the State Secretary Office'€™s request for a list of planned questions before he finally sent it to them three weeks before the show.

Later, on the day of the show, a representative from the State Secretary Office called Andy trying to lobby him to take out some of the questions he considered sensitive and were not based on facts.

Andi, who tried to assure the representative that these questions needed to be raised as the event could be used by Yudhoyono to tell the truth, later decided to cancel the President'€™s appearance after the person requested that the show only highlight the President'€™s achievements.

'€œAt that point, it was very disturbing [and] eventually AFN [Andy] decided not to push it. [And later he decided to] just cancel it,'€ Agus wrote.

However, apparently not all Presidential Security Detail (Paspampres) members were informed, as security scanners had been set up in the interview venue since noon, Agus said on his Twitter account. '€œInitially, SBY'€™s family would have attended [the show]. We had also prepared a casual short-sleeved dress code.'€

As reported by Kompas.com, presidential spokesman Julian Aldrin Pasha said that he perceived the '€œcontext of the questions did not fit the ongoing legislative election campaign atmosphere as those could lead to erroneous public interpretations'€.

Julian did not reveal the nature of the questions and only mentioned that the President'€™s interview could be rescheduled after the legislative election.

Political communication expert Gun Gun Heryanto said Yudhoyono had missed an opportunity to boost his and his administration'€™s image ahead of the legislative election. '€œPeople are curious to see the human side of him, particularly during the last days of his presidency,'€ Gun Gun said on Saturday. '€œWhy should he be afraid of such sensitive issues as confronting them could actually be good for his party. This entire time he has been looking for a stage.'€

The President has been on the road, campaigning through several regions in the country as chairman of the Democratic Party. In January, he published his 900-page book, Selalu Ada Pilihan (There is Always a Choice), an autobiography that appeared to serve as a response to critics who had often labeled him a failed leader.

Your Opinion Matters

Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.

Enter at least 30 characters
0 / 30

Thank You

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.

Share options

Quickly share this news with your network—keep everyone informed with just a single click!

Change text size options

Customize your reading experience by adjusting the text size to small, medium, or large—find what’s most comfortable for you.

Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone

Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!

Continue in the app

Get the best experience—faster access, exclusive features, and a seamless way to stay updated.