REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Political observers said acting secretary general of the ruling PDI-P party Hasto Kristiyanto is waiting for the right time to divulge evidence of alleged breach of ethical code by chairman of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Abraham Samad ahead of the presidential election last year.

"It is indeed better for him (Hasto)to speak about that later after things cool down," Arya Fernandez, from the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS),a political think tank, said.

"If Hasto is not careful, the situation could get worse and it could be a slap on the face of his party and President Joko Widodo (Jokowi)," Arya added.

Earlier Hasto accused Samad of holding intensive meetings with leaders of political parties including PDI-P and Nasdem that helped bring Jokowi to the presidency.

He said Samad, against KPK ethical code, sought political support from the two political parties for his ambition to become Jokowi's running mate in the election.

The parties had a number of vice presidential candidates that time but finally they opted to name Jusuf Kalla.

Arya said Hasto's move was already seen by many as part of attempts to weaken KPK and that PDI-P was behind the naming of Budi Gunawan a candidate for police chief.

"However, the public needs to be given a complete information about the allegation," he said here on Wednesday.

There are already calls for probe by KPK into possible breach of ethical code by Samad.

Samad has denied the allegation describing it as groundless and slanderous.

Arya noted that Hasto avoided public appearance lately after his statement against Abraham Samad at a news conference.

Hasto might not want to add fuel to the tension between KPK and police that began after KPK named Comr.Gen. Budi Gunawan a corruption suspect.

The KPK's announcement came with a big bang as it was made almost immediately after the president said he has named Budi a sole candidate to replace police chief Gen. Sutarman and a day before the Parliament held the standard procedure of fit and proper test for the candidate.

A few days later in what looked to many as an act of retaliation , police arrested Bambang Widjajanto, a deputy chairman of KPK, on charge of false testimony at a Constitutional Court session on dispute over the election of Kotawaringin district head in Kalimantan in 2010.

At that time Bambang was a lawyer for a candidate that finally won the regional election.

Under pressure from angry public police released Bambang after being grilled for 18 hours, but he remains a suspect. Being a suspect Bambang tendered his resignation in line with the KPK's strict ethical code.

Hasto might, as he said, was forced by his conscience to tell the public about the "truth" and about what he knew about Samad, Arya said.

If Hasto decided not to go ahead with what he already started the damage already done on KPK would remain uncleared and on the other hand the public might call Hasto a liar, he added.

"It might be better if Hasto speaks to the Independent Team formed by the president," he said.

Jokowi already formed an Independent Team of experts and respected Indonesian leaders to help find a solution to the KPK-police conflict.

Political observer from the state Airlangga University of Surabaya, Haryadi, also suggested Hasto keep silent after the situation is conducive.

"However, Hasto has to be ready to be summoned by the KPK Ethics Committee. He could give all the evidence he has to back up his allegation against Samad including to face lie detector," Haryadi said here on Wednesday.

Hasto himself suggested that KPK immediately form an ethic committee and he would be ready to testify at the committee.

He dismissed suggestion that he represented his party in making his statement.

"I am responsible alone and the party leaders did not know I called for this press conference," he said when he made the statement to reporters on January 22.

He said most of the public allegations about Samad in a newspaper article titled "Rumah Kaca Abraham Samad" was right.

The article was about KPK being allegedly used by Samad as a political tool to facilitate his ambition to become vice presidential candidate as a running mate of Jokowi in the last election.

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