President Yudhoyono Condemns WikiLeaks Report

ANT, Robert Sidauruk
 
Diplomatic relations between Indonesia and Australia may once again go south. Following the wiretapping incident involving the Australian government intercepting communications of several Indonesian political figures, tensions are again set to get rise after a recently published WikiLeaks report.
 
WikiLeaks, a whistleblower website, has indicated that Australia has issued a so-called super injunction to prohibit the publication of any allegations of inducements by senior executives of National Printing Australia (NPA) and Securency International to secure contracts for the supply of Australian-style polymer banknotes to the governments of Indonesia, Malaysia, Viet Nam, and other countries.
 
Following the WikiLeaks’ report, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono demanded an official clarification from the Australian government in regard to the Securency corruption allegations, which includes mention of his involvement and well as former President Megawati Soekarnoputri, along with other 17 senior figures from Malaysia and Vietnam.
 
“The report by Wikileaks is hurtful,” said President Yudhoyono during a press conference in Bogor last Thursday.
 
While acknowledging that in 1999 Indonesia requested NPA to print 550 million IDR 100,000 rupiah banknotes, President Yudhoyono refuted any claim that any involvement by him or Mrs. Soekarnoputri was criminal based on 2 reasons. First, the authority to print banknotes is with Bank Indonesia, and second, neither he nor Mrs. Soekarnoputri was the President at the time of allegations in 1999.
 
“The authority to print bank notes is with Bank Indonesia. Regardless of whoever is the President, he or she was not involved in the decision or policy at the time related to that matter,” informed President Yudhoyono.
 
President Yudhoyono also demanded a clear and transparent investigation into any possible case arising from the WikiLeaks report by the Australian government. Should any Indonesian citizen be allegedly involved, President Yudhoyono urged the Australian government to cooperate with the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).
 
“If the report by Wikileaks is false, the Australian government must disclose such facts to avoid groundless suspicions and accusations,” said Mr. Yudhoyono.
 
Australia to Clear Things Up
Shortly after President Yudhoyono’s press conference, the Australian Embassy in Jakarta issued a statement clearing the involvement of President Yudhoyono and Mrs. Soekarnoputri in the Securency corruption allegations.
 
In the statement, the Australian government admitted the suppression order to prevent publication of information that could suggest involvement in corruption by senior political figures in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Vietnam.
 
However, the Australian government stressed that the naming of figures in the order does not imply wrongdoing on their part, as the order was issued to protect the figures from any innuendo.
 
The wording of the statement included the text, “This is a long-running and complicated case which names a number of individuals. The naming of such individuals in the orders does not imply wrongdoing on their part.”
 
(hot/kc)