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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 002072 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS, INR/EAP 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/31/2017 
TAGS: PGOV KDEM KISL PINR ID
SUBJECT: EMBITTERED EX-OFFICIAL ATTACKS--AND PRESIDENT 
TAKES IT PERSONALLY 
 
REF: JAKARTA 72 
 
JAKARTA 00002072  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
Classified By: Classified By: Pol/C Joseph Legend Novak, reasons: 1.4 ( 
b) and (d). 
 
SUMMARY 
------- 
 
¶1. (C) On July 31, Zaenal Ma'arif was formally relieved of 
his duties as a parliamentarian and Deputy Speaker, ending a 
seven-month saga that began when his Reform Star Party (PBR) 
recalled him from parliament in January (Ref A).  President 
Yudhoyono had sealed Zaenal's fate when he signed a 
declaration approving his removal.  Zaenal responded by 
releasing alleged "evidence" that he claimed proved SBY had 
been married previously to a Philippine national.  Yudhoyono 
reacted swiftly to the accusation -- which in fact had 
surfaced earlier -- by launching a defamation lawsuit against 
Zaenal.  While most of our contacts questioned the veracity 
of the charges, the accusation and resulting presidential 
lawsuit have made a media splash.  END SUMMARY. 
 
FORMER DEPUTY SPEAKER TICKED OFF 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (C) As reported in Ref A, the PBR party exercised its 
right to recall Zaenal from the House of Representatives 
(DPR) in January after Zaenal had systematically exasperated 
party leadership.  According to PBR member and 
parliamentarian Ade Nasution, Zaenal forced PBR's hand by 
ignoring his constituents in Northern Sumatera, skimming 
party funds, and shining an unwelcome spotlight on the party 
by taking a second wife (Note: Polygamy is legal in this 
majority Islamic country, but nevertheless frowned upon by 
many. End Note). 
 
¶3. (C) Zaenal reacted to the party's maneuver by digging in 
his heels and disputing PBR's recall prerogative, a tact that 
Ade Nasution told poloff was never legally tenable, as 
parties have the clear authority to recall members at any 
time.  Zaenal also preyed on Speaker Laksono's job 
insecurities, arguing that if he were removed from his Deputy 
job, the entire DPR leadership could in theory be realigned 
(Note: The 550 member DPR has one Speaker and three Deputy 
Speakers.  The prestigious Deputy positions carry 
considerable clout and influence. End Note).  Arief Budiman, 
an assistant to Laksono, told poloff that this argument for a 
time persuaded the Speaker to look for ways to possibly block 
Zaenal's removal. 
 
¶4. (C) Ultimately, however, after a lengthy delay, Laksono 
determined that as Speaker he had no recourse but to process 
PBR's recall order.  On May 31, the Speaker finally sent a 
letter to the Electoral Commission requesting Zaenal's 
removal.  The Electoral Commission subsequently processed 
this request and then on July 19, the President made it 
official with Presidential decision no. 60/2007.  The 
Presidential decision took effect on July 31. 
 
¶5. (U) On July 31, Agung Laksono introduced Junisab Akbar as 
Zaenal's replacement in the DPR.  Junisab, a PBR member from 
Northern Sumatera, will take Zaenal's regular DPR seat, but 
will not replace him as Deputy Speaker.  Zaenal's Deputy 
Speaker position will remain vacant until the DPR settles on 
a mechanism to determine his replacement, a highly 
contentious issue that contacts doubted would be resolved 
anytime soon. 
 
LITTLE CUCUMBER TAKES ON THE BIG DURIAN 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶6. (C) Shortly after the President signed the Presidential 
decision, Zaenal publicly announced that he had evidence that 
proved SBY had been married in the past to a Filipina and 
produced two children from the marriage, an allegation that 
first appeared during the 2004 campaign.  Zaenal alleged the 
marriage took place before SBY entered the military academy 
in 1970. (Note: Only unmarried students are permitted to 
enroll in the academy.  End Note).  On July 30, Zaenal 
 
JAKARTA 00002072  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
delivered the "evidence" -- which purportedly includes a 
video of a member of the alleged first wife's family 
testifying to the authenticity of the claim -- to the DPR, 
the Regional Representatives Council (DPD) and the People's 
Consultative Assembly (MPR) and the Constitutional Court. 
According to media reports, Zaenal addressed reporters after 
he delivered his evidence and claimed that he had already 
received at least 11 death threats because of his actions, 
noting that "I'm just a cucumber compared to the President, 
who is the big durian." 
 
ZAENAL'S MOTIVATION 
------------------- 
 
¶7. (C) According to Ridwan Soeriyadi, a contact with the 
President's Democratic Party and a longtime acquaintance of 
SBY's, Zaenal first approached the President several weeks 
ago and pleaded with him to use his authority to block 
Zaenal's recall from the DPR.  Ridwan told us that when SBY 
refused to do so, Zaenal then threatened to go public with 
"damaging information" about the President.  According to 
Ridwan, SBY responded to the attempted blackmail by inviting 
him to release the information and intimating that he would 
not be bullied by Zaenal's tactics.  Ridwan told poloff that 
he dismissed Zaenal's allegation as completely without merit 
and characterized it as part of a "black campaign" designed 
to weaken the president in advance of a 2009 re-election bid. 
 Ridwan suspected that forces loyal to Golkar Advisory Board 
Chairman Surya Paloh had orchestrated the entire thing. 
Ridwan told us that when this allegation surfaced during the 
2004 race for president, Ridwan had asked Yudhoyono whether 
it was true, 
 and Yudhoyono had simply asked Ridwan whether or not he 
trusted him.  The implication to Ridwan was clear: Yudhoyono 
felt that if Ridwan believed in him as a candidate and a 
person, he would not need an answer to such a scurrilous 
accusation. 
 
SBY COUNTERATTACKS 
------------------ 
 
¶8. (U) On July 29, SBY filed a defamation suit against Zaenal 
Ma'arif.  With the First Lady standing firmly by his side, 
the President filled out the paper work for the suit at the 
Jakarta Police Headquarters and later called Zaenal's 
accusations "character assassination."  It is not clear when 
this suit will be decided by the court. 
 
POLITICAL IMPACT 
---------------- 
 
¶9. (C) The President has subsequently received mainly 
favorable press coverage, with many asserting that his 
actions were an example of model comportment in a democratic 
society.  Contrasting SBY's behavior with the Suharto regime, 
several of our contacts have noted that this comparatively 
magnanimous tolerance for slander would have been unthinkable 
less than ten years ago (when people would have been 
imprisoned for insulting the president).  Other contacts -- 
mostly on the opposition side -- have told us that they think 
SBY has overreacted to the charges and embarrassed himself in 
the process.  In any case, these types of attacks and 
counter-attacks are likely to be replayed with increasing 
intensity as the 2009 presidential campaign draws nearer. 
HUME