TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Vice President Jusuf Kalla commented on the move taken by Setya Novanto to maintain his positions as the House of Representatives (DPR) Speaker and Functional Group (Golkar) Party chairman.

According to Kalla, Setya is currently struggling to save himself.

“It’s an effort. There’s nothing wrong with it. It’s the final move,” Kalla said when being exclusively interviewed by Tempo on Wednesday, November 22.

Read: Chairman MKD Unmoved with Setya Novantos Letter

Before and after being named as a suspect in e-KTP corruption case, Setya Novanto made several moves to escape the situation. One of them was asking for protection from President Joko Widodo or Jokowi, as revealed by DPR Deputy Speaker Fahri Hamzah.

Setya also sent letters to the Golkar Central Executive Board and DPR to maintain him as the Golkar chairman and DPR Speaker. He asked for time to prove his innocence before being removed. Kalla added Setya had also asked for help from the police institution.

In response to a question whether Setya had come to him for help, the vice president said no. According to Kalla, Setya may have already known that he is not Setya’s supporters.

“I have never supported him (Setya Novanto) since I served as the Golkar Chairman. You can ask him whether I had assigned a functional role to him,” Kalla said.

ISTMAN MUSAHARUN PRAMADIBA