Candidates on Defensive Over Weekend

Muninggar Sri Saraswati & Antara

With just 10 days to go before the election on July 8, the presidential candidates were forced to spend the weekend fending off what they labeled as baseless and fabricated allegations.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, speaking at a campaign event at the Bima Cirebon sports stadium in West Java on Saturday, lashed out at what he said were slanderous allegations arising from the “black campaigns” being waged against him and running mate Boediono.

“SBY and Boediono are being attacked from all sides, but nothing is based on tangible facts,” Yudhoyono said.

“We’re concerned about this and I ask the Lord to restore the good senses of the black campaigners, so they stop.”

He said he hoped that his supporters would avoid slinging mud, because it was a sin against God, democracy and the people.

“It is not good for them to reach their goal by any means,” he said.

“They should tell the people what is true, honest and noble. Do not attack, slander and discredit SBY by spreading untrue stories and turning religion upside down.”

The incumbent, heavily favored to win the election, has been on the defensive in response to a number of allegations.

Charges against Yudhoyono include criticism of comments that he allegedly made against the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), as well as vice presidential candidate Boediono’s supposed status as a “neo-liberal.” Some opponents have also suggested that Boediono and his wife Herawati were not Muslim enough.

On Friday, Yudhoyono, who is running on an anticorruption platform, was forced to deny that he had ordered the Development Finance Comptroller to audit the KPK, which drew immediate criticism from anticorruption watchdogs.

The campaign team of presidential candidate Jusuf Kalla — who in the past has himself made comments that could be considered critical of the KPK’s efforts — used the situation to say that the KPK should be improved.

“We hope the KPK becomes more effective in handling the investigation into allegations that certain institutions have caused the state to lose money,” campaign team spokesman Chairuman Harahap said on Saturday.

On Sunday, Yudhoyono lashed out at comments that were apparently directed at Kalla, who criticized Boediono during last Thursday’s presidential debate for not agreeing with his 10,000-megawatt electricity project.

“[How could] internal cabinet meeting issues be disclosed to the public?” he asked, adding that he, in his capacity as president, needed to protect his ministers to support their ability to carry out their government duties.

Boediono, Yudhoyono said, had only asked the government to be careful in approving the development of the 10,000-megawatt electricity project. The government eventually approved the program to prevent a possible energy crisis.

Yudhoyono responded to Kalla, who said in a presidential debate on Thursday that Boediono did not support the project. Kalla repeated his statement several times, noting that he was angry with Boediono.

Kalla’s campaign team, meanwhile, also had to deny allegations that it had engaged in money politics and that the team was involved in the distribution of photocopied news stories saying that Boediono’s wife was a Catholic, during a campaign event in Medan, North Sumatra.

Chairuman said the campaign team had no plans to deliberately smear its rivals. “Our goal in the campaign is to introduce the programs of our presidential candidate to the people.”