At least two development projects linked to the presidential office, which appear to have been hoaxes, have revealed nepotism and cronyism among President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's inner circle.
The two failed projects -- the "Supertoy HL2" rice and the "Blue Energy" alternative fuel -- were implemented by bypassing the relevant ministries and without complying with prevailing regulations.
The projects proceeded to the public domain thanks to the close relations between the President and the presidential staff involved, experts said Sunday.
The experts said another factor was Yudhoyono's obsession with championing innovations in science and technology, rendering him unable to resist when his aides or cronies offered projects touted as scientific or technological breakthroughs.
Yudhoyono's decision to invite Microsoft founder Bill Gates and several Nobel Prize laureates to the State Palace was seen as part of the President's ambitious efforts to develop science and technology in Indonesia.
The experts made their comments in relation to the Supertoy HL2 and Blue Energy projects, which have both brought the President public humiliation. Both the failed projects were handled by his advisor Heru Lelono.
Supertoy HL2 reportedly turned out to be a hoax after farmers at Grabag village, Purworejo, Central Java, failed to reap a second harvest of the new rice variety earlier this month, ultimately setting fire to the paddy field out of anger.
Last April the President and First Lady Ani Yudhoyono attended the first harvest at the village, where farmers were promised they would get three harvests from the Supertoy seeds.
The failure of the Blue Energy project, which claimed to convert sea water into fuel, and which Yudhoyono had promoted nationally and internationally, was another slap in the face for the President.
"It's clearly nepotism. Such unproven projects would have never reached the public if they were not related to the presidential office," said expert Irman Putra Sidin of the Indonesian Legal Roundtable.
He said that, like all other nepotistic practices, the two projects had not undergone proper verification by relevant institutions to ensure their viability, leading to public deception and failure.
Right after the Grabag farmers vented their anger over the failed harvest, Agriculture Minister Anton Apriantono blamed the failure on PT Sarana Harapan Indopangan (SHI), the company responsible for producing and distributing the Supertoy seeds, saying the new rice variety had not passed a seedling test by his office's research unit.
Although Yudhoyono has denied any link with the project, Heru is the president commissioner of the company.
Similarly, in response to the Blue Energy scandal, State Minister for Research and Technology Kusmayanto Kadiman said his office had nothing to do with the project, while blasting it as scientifically baseless.
The Blue Energy inventor, Djoko Suprapto, is being detained on charges of embezzling billions of rupiah from the Indonesian Islamic University to develop his research.
Irman said such practices had "delegitimized" the President and his Cabinet, highlighting his "lack of trust" in his own ministers.
Political observer Bima Arya Sugiarto of the Paramadina University said that while the motives of those projects were probably to gain personal credit and boost Yudhoyono's popularity, they appeared to indicate his special adviser's incompetence in advising his boss correctly.
"The projects highlight a shortcut mentality to find instant results. This is dangerous because such a mentality is prone to fraud and deception, endangering many people if the policies or projects are applied to the public at large," he said.
Copying the U.S. presidential advisory team, Yudhoyono formed a team of special advisers including Dino Patti Djalal as his adviser and spokesman for foreign affairs, Andi Mallarangeng as adviser and spokesman for domestic affairs, Heru Lelono for regional autonomy and newly appointed Denny Indrayana for legal affairs.
Both Irman and Bima warned that all presidential staff members could abuse their positions for their own benefit at the expense of Yudhoyono's credibility.
The two failed projects -- the "Supertoy HL2" rice and the "Blue Energy" alternative fuel -- were implemented by bypassing the relevant ministries and without complying with prevailing regulations.
The projects proceeded to the public domain thanks to the close relations between the President and the presidential staff involved, experts said Sunday.
The experts said another factor was Yudhoyono's obsession with championing innovations in science and technology, rendering him unable to resist when his aides or cronies offered projects touted as scientific or technological breakthroughs.
Yudhoyono's decision to invite Microsoft founder Bill Gates and several Nobel Prize laureates to the State Palace was seen as part of the President's ambitious efforts to develop science and technology in Indonesia.
The experts made their comments in relation to the Supertoy HL2 and Blue Energy projects, which have both brought the President public humiliation. Both the failed projects were handled by his advisor Heru Lelono.
Supertoy HL2 reportedly turned out to be a hoax after farmers at Grabag village, Purworejo, Central Java, failed to reap a second harvest of the new rice variety earlier this month, ultimately setting fire to the paddy field out of anger.
Last April the President and First Lady Ani Yudhoyono attended the first harvest at the village, where farmers were promised they would get three harvests from the Supertoy seeds.
The failure of the Blue Energy project, which claimed to convert sea water into fuel, and which Yudhoyono had promoted nationally and internationally, was another slap in the face for the President.
"It's clearly nepotism. Such unproven projects would have never reached the public if they were not related to the presidential office," said expert Irman Putra Sidin of the Indonesian Legal Roundtable.
He said that, like all other nepotistic practices, the two projects had not undergone proper verification by relevant institutions to ensure their viability, leading to public deception and failure.
Right after the Grabag farmers vented their anger over the failed harvest, Agriculture Minister Anton Apriantono blamed the failure on PT Sarana Harapan Indopangan (SHI), the company responsible for producing and distributing the Supertoy seeds, saying the new rice variety had not passed a seedling test by his office's research unit.
Although Yudhoyono has denied any link with the project, Heru is the president commissioner of the company.
Similarly, in response to the Blue Energy scandal, State Minister for Research and Technology Kusmayanto Kadiman said his office had nothing to do with the project, while blasting it as scientifically baseless.
The Blue Energy inventor, Djoko Suprapto, is being detained on charges of embezzling billions of rupiah from the Indonesian Islamic University to develop his research.
Irman said such practices had "delegitimized" the President and his Cabinet, highlighting his "lack of trust" in his own ministers.
Political observer Bima Arya Sugiarto of the Paramadina University said that while the motives of those projects were probably to gain personal credit and boost Yudhoyono's popularity, they appeared to indicate his special adviser's incompetence in advising his boss correctly.
"The projects highlight a shortcut mentality to find instant results. This is dangerous because such a mentality is prone to fraud and deception, endangering many people if the policies or projects are applied to the public at large," he said.
Copying the U.S. presidential advisory team, Yudhoyono formed a team of special advisers including Dino Patti Djalal as his adviser and spokesman for foreign affairs, Andi Mallarangeng as adviser and spokesman for domestic affairs, Heru Lelono for regional autonomy and newly appointed Denny Indrayana for legal affairs.
Both Irman and Bima warned that all presidential staff members could abuse their positions for their own benefit at the expense of Yudhoyono's credibility.
