MULYANI'S STATEMENT COULD HAVE LONG-TERM EFFECT : OBSERVER

Jakarta, Dec 10 (ANTARA) - An observer from the Indonesia Survey Institute (LSI) said Finance Minister Sri Mulyani's statement carried in the Wall Street Journal on Thursday could have a long-term effect.

"Her statement that the special inquiry committee on Century Bank was created by her political opponents could have long-term consequences," Burhanuddin Muhtadi, the observer, said.

He said her statement was like a gasoline being thrown into a fire. Moreover, she also mentioned former coordinating minister for people's welfare Aburizal Bakrie as having a political grudge against her.

He said the Golkar Party could be offended by the mentioning of Aburizal Bakrie who is now its chairman.

"Sri Mulyani should have built communications with political parties and not created problems with them," he said.

He said her statement would only corner her because she had no political base and footing in the parliament.

Burhanuddin said Sri Mulyani had also made the position of the Democrat Party dilemmatic because Golkar was the second largest party in the parliament while the chairman of the committee was also from the party.

He said Sri Mulyani could not rely on the Democrat Party only for support because the party did not hold a single majority in the parliament.

"Sri Mulyani and Boediono (vice president) could become the common enemies of the politicians and if politically it was disadvantageous for the Democrat Party it was not impossible for the party to discard them," he said.

Burhanuddin said the Century Bank parliamentary committee was a political instrument full of different political interests.

He said the decision of the committee would be determined by bargaining behind the scenes and Sri Mulyani and Boediono could be the lameducks.

"In view of that I have more confidence in a juridical solution of the case, through the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK)," he said.

He said a juridical solution was based on data and evidence not on political prejudices. ***1***
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