Nograhany Widhi K, Jakarta – A former director of the State Intelligence Coordinating Body (Bakin), Dr. A.C. Manullang, says he is not surprised by the statement by National Intelligence Agency (BIN) chief Syamsir Siregar that the demonstrations against the government’s planned fuel price hikes are being taken advantage of.

Manullang even believes that the cabinet of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) has been infiltrated by foreign intelligence agents.

“Prior to Siregar saying that, long beforehand based on my own intelligence monitoring, I said that there are many foreign agents in SBY’s cabinet”, said Manullang when speaking with Detik.com on Wednesday May 14.

And it is not impossible, he said, that many other government officials have been influenced by or even compromised by foreign intelligence agencies. “Our mistake is why intelligence is unable to implement or accomplish its task of carrying out counter intelligence. BIN is limited in its ability to carrying out counter intelligence”, he said.

Counter intelligence he added, must be accompanied by clandestine intelligence operations such as undercover work, to examine who the president’s assistance are that are working for the interests of foreign intelligence. And the results reported by Siregar to the president should include how to prevent the demonstrations.

“Pak Syamsir is actually obliged to report directly to the president. The current demonstrations must be prevented and avoided, not fired on. But before this happens it must be assessed and reported to the president. The president will then instruct the government agencies to deter them”, he said.

What was actually said by Siregar, he added, was in fact related to the 2009 presidential elections. Many parties are competing to win an opportunity to become Indonesia’s Number 1. “This (the planned fuel price increases) could reduce SBY’s popularity”, said Manullang. (nwk/nrl)

[Translated by James Balowski.]