Jakarta — Democrat Party chairman Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono a.k.a. SBY said he has read the apology article published by Asia Sentinel. He also said he knows that the article, written by John Berthelsen, had been taken down.
“Although the damage to SBY and Democrat had been done, as a man of faith and a servant of Allah, I forgive them,” SBY said via his Twitter account on Thursday, September 20.
Despite forgiving the Hong Kong-based online media, SBY said that his mission to uncover the slander against him is not done. “This is like the tip of an iceberg. There are still many mysteries and puzzles that must be answered,” he said.
According to SBY, Asian Sentinel’s article involved foreign elements and the nation itself. The investigation team, he said, will continue to work to the end. The former president also said the results of his investigation would be reported to the public, as he does not want Indonesia to become a hotbed for the production and distribution of slander and hoaxes.
Asia Sentinel apologized to SBY for its article about the Bank Century graft, in which it claimed that the former president was involved in money laundering practices. After protests from the Democrat Party, an apology was published to the media’s website on Wednesday, September 19.
“We further wish to apologize completely and unequivocally to former President Yudhoyono, the Democrat Party, and any others who were insulted by the article in question and beyond that to the people of Indonesia for any insult we may have caused with the story,” the article says.
