Golkar Waiting for SBY's Call in Coalition Evaluation Threat

The Jakarta Post, 27 February 2011

The Golkar Party downplayed threats from its coalition partner, the Democratic Party, to evaluate Golkar's membership in the government party coalition after a disagreement over a legislative tax inquiry proposal.

Golkar strongly backed the proposal, which sought to form a legislative inquiry on corruption within the Indonesian taxation system, while the Democratic Party led the push to reject it.

Democratic Party executives said they had asked President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, the founder and chief patron of the party, to evaluate Golkar's membership in the coalition in relation to the disagreement.

President Back in Jakarta

AntaraNews, 27 February 2011

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono arrived back in Jakarta on Sunday after paying a working visit to Riau Islands province and a state visit to Brunei Darussalam.

The president and entourage including First Lady Ani Yudhoyono arrived at Halim Perdanakusuma Air Base in East Jakarta by a special presidential plane at 02.30 p.m. after a one-hour flight from Tanjungpinang, Riau Islands.

Politicians Ensure Arsenal Remains Well Stocked to Bully SBY

The Jakarta Post, 21 February 2011

A recent proposal to pass a motion to launch an inquiry into tax corruption marks another chapter in the saga of heightened political bickering between the government and legislators. But it may well turn out that the politicians have more tricks up their sleeves. The controversy surrounding the recent sale of shares of state steel company PT Krakatau Steel through an initial public offering (IPO) is another card worth playing.

The IPO has caused a political rift between members of the ruling coalition camp of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, triggered by allegations that officials from the Office of the Minister for State Enterprises had undervalued the share prices so that politicians and well-connected businesspeople near Yudhoyono could buy the majority of the shares and then sell them for a hefty profit.