THE plenary meeting room of the House of Representatives (DPR), Nusantara V building, got heated abruptly two weeks ago. The expression of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) quickly changed: shock and anger were apparent on his reddened face. The president's consultative meeting with the DPR became tense.

It all arose from legislator Alvin Lie's question about the note of the vice president to ministers dated December 27, 2004, which was