Ikrar Nusa Bhakti, a political science researcher at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), said President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono should not have talked about his salary which had not been raised for the past seven years in front of high ranking officials or teachers.
"The President is a man with great privileges, all of his expenditures are covered by the presidential tactical budget, unlike other high ranking officials who only have their monthly paychecks to pay for their daily expenditures." Ikrar said here Tuesday.
The president referred to his own salary at a military and police leadership meeting on Friday (Jan 21) in North Jakarta, His statement raised public concern in social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter.
"We don`t know whether the president`s statement on his salary was designed to make the military and police high ranking officials feel that their welfare was actually already good enough," Ikrar said,
Ikrar also wondered whether the president`s statement was part of political imaging or a diversion.
"It could be that the president was trying to get the high ranking officials attention and divert their attention from the Gayus case.
If this was the case, instead of credit and compliments from the public, the president would receive some negative criticism amid public concern on spiraling inflation.
On the other hand, the president`s statement could also raise the high ranking military and police officials` concern about the primary weaponry defense system (Alutsista) for which no higher budget would be given.
"From any point of view, SBY`s statement representing on how the president political imaging that has been done during his political style," he said.
But then again, this type of political style is inappropriate and not feasible implemented nowadays, while public demands for improved government performance, especially in handling the mega-scandal Century bank case and `Gayus` tax embezzlement, Ikrar said.
Ikrar also asked people who are already raising their money for the ?coin for president? movement to donate it for someone or something useful.
"Our president`s salary is already high, so put away your coins and give it to some one who really needs it," Ikrar said.
Earlier, the Indonesia`s ruling party`s Secretary General Anas Urbaningrum said that the recent coin for president act is not a critic in democracy, because it does not provide meaningful benefits for the nation`s democracy, Anas said.
"It more a reflection of the cynicism and unimpressive political disbelief without considering its benefits to democracy," Anas said. (*)
Editor: Ruslan Burhani
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
