"Our country is a state of law, not a state of violence. I ensure that we are going to use our legal rights to solve this case. We are chasing the slanderer till the end of the world," he told his party`s cadres here on Monday evening.
Speaking at an occasion for commemorating the Democrat Party`s 17th anniversary here, Yudhoyono, commonly known as SBY, said the fake news that Asia Sentinel recently published had damaged the reputation of himself and the Democrat Party.
The Asia Sentinel`s news report, written by John Berthelsen, has accused the Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono administration of involving in the Bank Century scandal and a "vast criminal conspiracy" to swindle the bank`s funds for the interest of his party.
This Hong Kong-based news website`s fake news was then quoted by several mainstream media in Indonesia without clarifying it to the former president, who led Indonesia for 10 years or to his party`s executive board members.
Yudhoyono absolutely denied the allegation saying that the news that the Asia Sentinel as a fake news, which has ruined the reputation of him and his party.
He said he could understand the anger of the Democrat Party`s cadres over the intervention of "foreign hands" into the Indonesian people`s domestic affairs and over the slander during this political season.
But, he warns his Democrat Party`s cadres of not taking any illegal act against those responsible for slandering him and the party. Instead, he suggests that they take legal measures.
In other part of his speech, broadcast live nationwide by TV One, Yudhoyono also underlined the importance of Indonesia`s print, electronic, and online media to remain impartial in their news coverage and reporting.
The impartiality, he said, was so significant for providing readers and audience with credible news contents because media outlets actually belong to the public.
Reporting by Rangga Pandu Asmara Jingga
Editing by Rahmad Nasution
Reporter: antara
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2018
