Clear rules needed to avoid defamation, Aburizal says

Clear rules needed to avoid defamation, Aburizal says

Rendi A. Witular, The Jakarta Post/Busan, South Korea

Coordinating Minister for the Economy Aburizal Bakrie supports
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's plan to issue an instruction
that will clearly forbid government officials from misusing their
authority for business interests.

Aburizal, himself a former business magnate, said here on
Friday that the instruction should be made transparent and clear
in order to prevent public misperceptions, which could eventually
lead to defamation.

"I will support the planned instruction as it will protect
government officials, like myself, from becoming a victim of
slander by the mass media. The instruction should be clear, so
the public understands," he said.

Being under the spotlight in the past few months -- especially
with Susilo receiving intense pressure to replace him due to what
some commentators described as a poor performance -- Aburizal
made the comment in response to the president's statement on
Thursday. That statement was made during an unscheduled press
conference aboard his plane an hour before landing at a military
air base in Busan to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
(APEC) Assembly.

Susilo expressed concerns over indications that several high-
ranking government officials had been misusing their authority to
enrich their family, friends and colleagues by trying to secure
government projects.

Susilo dubbed these officials "dual-function politicians" who
are "running their businesses at the expense of the state". He
said the officials did not need to be directly involved in the
businesses, but could give access or leak information to their
relatives or business partners.

Although Aburizal officially retired from the family business,
under the flagship of the Bakrie & Brothers Group, when appointed
as minister in October 2004, critics have remained skeptical
about whether he actually refrains from all involvement.

Other Cabinet members with business backgrounds include
Minister of Transportation Hatta Radjasa, Minister of Manpower
and Transmigration Fahmi Idris, State Minister of Cooperatives,
and Small and Medium Enterprises Surya Dharma Ali, State Minister
of State Enterprises Sugiharto and Minister of Forestry Malam
Sambat Kaban.

Aburizal added that the presidential instruction should also
speak to the involvement of military officials, police officers
and lecturers, as they have similar opportunities to misuse their
authority for their own interests.

"(A state official) who was formerly a businessman is similar
to soldiers, police and lecturers. The instruction should also
cover former professionals from these kinds of jobs," he said.

Elsewhere, a source close to Susilo said the President had
consulted with Vice President Jusuf Kalla before announcing the
planned instruction in a bid to prevent conflict or public
misperception.

Aside from being the leader of the influential Golkar Party,
Kalla is a former businessman, who headed up the Hadji Kalla
Group and the Bukaka Group; both currently run by his relatives.

"Before leaving for Busan, Bapak (Susilo) spent around 40
minutes with the vice president at a lounge in Halim
Perdanakusuma airport honing the details of the instruction," the
source said.

The source said Susilo needed to discuss the issue with Kalla
as he wanted to steer clear of any misunderstanding or create
confusion among the public, who might be misled into thinking
that he was trying to attack certain members of his Cabinet.