THE political situation began heating up in August 2004. The elite were lobbying intensively to garner support in the lead-up to the second round of the presidential election. Although he won the first round, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) was angry. This was because rumors were being spread that his wife, Kristiani Herawati, was a Christian, when in fact she is a Muslim.

This was a sensitive issue for Yudhoyono when he teamed up with Jusuf Kall