Photos of Aburizal with Artists Called Cheap Issue: Golkar Party

Jakarta (Antara) - Photos and videos showing Golkar Party chief Aburizal Bakrie with two artists, being circulated by social media, are a cheap issue and unproductive, secretary general Idrus Marham said. "The photos and videos that are in circulation are known pictures and not exclusive ones, so that they need not be made an issue. We, party board members and the family, knew about them before, though they are being talked about now," he told newsmen here on Saturday. He made the statement in response to the photos of ARB and two artist sisters, known by their initials as MZ and OZ, aboard a private plane on a holiday journey to Maldives. Marham said whenever he traveled to different regions, Aburizal Bakrie or ARB has always invited tennis groups and other groups to join him, and his family and party board members knew this. He said the photos and videos would not affect current Golkar Party election campaigns. He also said he believed that the public is smart enough to understand that this is a cheap election issue. He added that Golkar Party would not try to sue anyone who has spread the photos and videos, but appealed to election participants to avoid political intrigue and political slander. "We would not waste our energy to deal with such a thing. It would be better for Golkar to concentrate on how to improve the welfare of the people," he said. He noted, however, that Golkar Party deplored those people or groups that dramatized the issue during the current election campaigning, when concepts, ideas and views should be more important than slander and intrigue. (*) reporting by ahmad wijaya