PRESIDENT AGAIN ASKS PARLIAMENT TO STOP THINKING OF IMPEACHMENT

Jakarta, Jan 25 (ANTARA) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has renewed his call for the parliament to stop thinking it can impeach him by a "no-confidence vote" over the Bank Century case.

"In the presidential system we adhere to under the amended 1945 Constitution, the president cannot dissolve the House of Representatives (DPR), the Regional Representatives Council (DPD) or the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR)," he said.

Therefore, the parliament should not think it could any time impeach the president or government "in the culture of no-confidence votes", he said in his address at a National Defense Forces (TNI) leadership meeting at the TNI Headquarters in Cilangkap, East Jakarta, on Monday.

He said the rules on impeachment were clear enough. Impeachment could happen when one or more of the following conditions applied: when the president and vice president were incapacitated to perform their duties, they had committed a serious criminal offense, or treason, corruption, were involved in bribery, or done any other dishonorable thing.
"This is all very clearly stated in the law. The rules are plain enough, they cannot be bent this or that way like a piece of rubber," he said.

"Therefore, please let us have a comprehensive understanding about our Constitution and refer to it in all matters," he said.

In his directives to the TNI leadership, the President also touched on the government's policy to bail out Bank Century. "Let us think with a clear head and look at it within the context of the circumstances that prevailed at the time (2008), not within the context of circumstances in January 2010," he said.

What the government had done to save the troubled bank in 2008 was based on comprehensive considerations for the safety of the nation's economy, he said.

The President also touched on the Asean-China Free Trade Agreement (ACFTA), saying the government would remain consistent with its decision to sign the accord which came into force on January 1, 2010.

The central government has been under mounting public pressure over the Bank Century case, especially after the DPR set up a special committee to investigate the government's decision to pay Rp6.7 trillion to bail out troubled bank.

Boediono, former Bank Indonesia (BI) governor who is currently vice president, and Finance Minister Sri Mulyani were among those called to testify before the special commission's members.

At the TNI leadership meeting, the Head of State was accompanied by some ministers including d Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Djoko Suyanto and Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro, Minister/State Secretary Sudi Silalahi, State Minister for State Enterprises Mustafa Abubakar, and Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati.

The TNI Leadership Meeting 2010 was themed "By Improving Integrated Three-Dimensional Capability, the TNI Will Always Be Ready to Uphold National Sovereignty and Maintain the Security and Integrity of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI)."