VP secretary resigns over circular incident
Muninggar Sri Saraswati and Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
A senior official in the Vice President's office resigned on Wednesday after he issued an internal memo criticizing House of Representatives members that was later leaked to the public.
Legislators have slammed the circular they said could harm the relations between the government and the House of Representatives.
Vice President Jusuf Kalla confirmed that vice presidential office secretary Prijono Tjiptoherijanto had tendered his resignation over the controversial circular and that the country's No. 2 man had accepted it.
"That it is an administrative error and beyond the authority of the vice presidential office secretary," Kalla said in Jakarta.
He denied speculation he had ordered the issuance of the circular, although Prijono had said the letter he signed was based on a briefing given by the Vice President.
"It is his own initiative. I only told him to send (copies of) laws to Cabinet ministers and the heads of government agencies and institutions," Kalla said.
The circular, dated on Dec. 27 and a copy of which obtained by The Jakarta Post, strongly criticized recent hearings between the House and the government.
It stated the hearings were often filled with disproportional statements aimed at discrediting the government and that legislators frequently played down the importance of answers given by government officials to questions they had asked.
The letter was addressed to Cabinet members and heads of government agencies and institutions.
Prijono refused to respond to the letter and clarify his reasons behind the resignation.
However, vice presidential office deputy secretary Gunawan Sumodiningrat said that Prijono had admitted to his failure over the case.
"It should have be an internal letter for ministers. Actually, there is nothing wrong with the contents of the circular. However, it has created (public) interpretations concerning the relations between the government and the House (because it was leaked to the public)," Gunawan said.
He said his office had often sent similar letters to ministers before which had not caused any problems.
"We don't know who leaked the letter ... As a bureaucrat, he (Prijono) is ready to accept any penalty from the President or the Vice President," said Gunawan, adding he was asked by Prijono to speak on his behalf.
Gunawan denied the letter was intended to insult or offend the House.
Later on Wednesday, the vice presidential office issued a letter distancing itself from the controversial circular.
Separately, House members expressed regret over the memo and admitted they could not understand why the vice presidential office issued it.
"If the circular really exists, it is annoying. All parties should respect the relations between state institutions," said legislator Untung Wahono of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS).
United Development Party (PPP) legislator Arif Mudatsir Mandan, meanwhile, urged Kalla to appear before the House and clarify the matter.