Govt, Yudhoyono family circle wagons after leaks allegations

Govt, Yudhoyono family circle wagons after leaks allegations
Mariel Grazella, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sat, 03/12/2011 3:32 AM | Headlines
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The fallout from the US Cablegate scandal finally hit Jakarta on Friday, disturbing the peace at the State Palace after leaked cables alleged the President abused his power and exposed the first lady’s for cronyism.

The official response from the government has been stern. Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said at a press conference that the allegations were “unacceptable” and complaints had been lodged to Australian-based The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age regarding their reports on leaked US diplomatic cables, which were attained exclusively from whistle-blower website WikiLeaks.

“Indonesia is a country much transformed, as many of you who have been in Indonesia for some time will no doubt be aware we have made efforts to combat corruption and promote good governance,” Marty said.

“That’s why what is being reported is especially unacceptable, not only to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and his family, but most of all to the Indonesian nation itself,” he added.

US Ambassador to Indonesia Scot Marciel, who was also at the conference, said the US government expressed its “deepest regrets” over the reports.

“Embassy reporting to Washington is candid. It’s preliminary, often incomplete and unsubstantiated. It is not an expression of policy, nor does it always shape the final policy decision,” he said.

“These documents should not be seen as having standing on their own, or as representing US policy.”

Quoting the leaked diplomatic cables, the Australian daily newspapers reported that Yudhoyono personally intervened to influence prosecutors and judges to protect corrupt political figures and put pressure on his adversaries.

The newspapers, which printed the story when Vice President Boediono was in Australia on an official visit Friday, also said US diplomats had highlighted efforts by first lady Kristiani “Ani” Herawati and her family members to profit financially from her husband’s influence.

“[Kristiani’s family members are] specifically targeting financial opportunities related to state-owned enterprises,” The Age reports.

The first lady denied the accusations, saying the validity of the cable information was questionable. She claimed she was saddened by the reports.

“[The reports] were published without a request to us for confirmation,” Ani was quoted as saying Friday by news portal tempointeraktif.com.

State Secretary Sudi Silalahi said at the state palace that the first lady was in tears upon reading the news. “She was shocked,” he said.

The President, he claimed, was “really shocked”, but was carrying out his duties as normal.

Yudhoyono received a delegation of the World Islamic Economic Forum at the state palace earlier in the day, but did not attend Friday prayers at noon. “The President was unwell,” said Sudi.

The President’s youngest son, Edhie “Ibas” Baskoro, also came to the defense. “Of course [the reports] are not true at all,” he said, adding that the news was misleading and verged on libel and defamation.

“It is irritating if all these things are linked back to [the President and first lady] when they cannot be corroborated by data or facts,” Ibas said.

Experts say the extent of the damage would be largely determined by Yudhoyono’s response.

Communications expert Tjipta Lesmana said handling the news in a flurry of panic was far from effective.

“The reports must be neutralized, but not only through denials,” he told the Post.

Yudhoyono and his government, he said, must counter the allegations by presenting “evidence and proof” that the information reported was inaccurate.

Tjipta added that the inability to address the problem well could fuel political instability and empower the opposition.

The former spokesman for late president Abdurrahman “Gus Dur” Wahid and political analyst Wimar Witoelar said the public should refrain from too easily trusting the information from the leaked cables.

He added that the US ambassadors who wrote the cables relied on locals for information.

“I wouldn’t place too much importance on the validity [of the information] but it is certainly a very interesting topic to talk about. I know [ambassadors] depend on local people for information,” he said.

Wimar added that it was worth looking into the motives of those capitalizing on the news to weaken the government in the future.


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