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In what appears to be the opening salvo in another political battle following the Bank Century bailout inquiry, a group of senior lawmakers on Tuesday said they would seek to ban Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati from House of Representatives commission hearings, including upcoming deliberations on revisions to the 2010 state budget.

Calls by legislators from the Golkar Party and opposition Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) for a vote at the next House plenary session to bar Sri Mulyani appear to be a clear challenge to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono after the inconclusive House probe.

A divided House voted last week that the government’s Rp 6.7 trillion ($730 million) bailout in 2008 broke the law and might have been tainted by corruption and banking crimes. Many lawmakers also claimed Sri Mulyani and Vice President Boediono were responsible.

The House ruling has no legal authority, but legislators recommended further investigation by law-enforcement agencies.

Analysts on Tuesday said they feared that any increased political tension could affect the country’s economic stability at a time when it was being praised as one of the best performers globally.

It appears as if Yudhoyono’s political adversaries, including members of his own governing coalition, such as Golkar, are keeping the pressure on in hopes of forcing the president to sack his finance minister.

Last week, Yudhoyono publicly backed Sri Mulyani and Boediono, who was head of the central bank at the time of the bailout. Analysts said certain lawmakers were trying to remove the pair to stop market reforms that would hurt their political and business interests.

Harry Azhar Azis, a Golkar lawmaker and chairman of the powerful budget committee, said party members wanted the House to ban Sri Mulyani from representing the government.

He said that since the House concluded there were “indications” of crimes and irregularities in the Bank Century case, there was “growing distrust toward Sri Mulyani.”

“If we boycott her, an interim finance minister could fill her position at meetings with the [House],” Harry said.

Tjahjo Kumolo, PDI-P factional chairman, said his party would also lobby the House leadership not to invite any government officials deemed responsible for the bailout — meaning Sri Mulyani and Boediono.

If the House follows through on the threats, Yudhoyono could face legislative paralysis that could derail his second-term agenda. If he sticks by his finance minister, he may have to reshuffle his cabinet to remove any insubordinate parties, such as Golkar, and piece together a new coalition for his Democratic Party.

Sri Mulyani, speaking to a gathering of foreign journalists on Tuesday night about the budget revisions and macroeconomic policy, said “we must put the national good above politics.”

She said if the House refused to consider the budget revisions, the people would suffer and spending priorities would not be accurately realigned.

“We do not want the country to be held hostage by narrow interests,” she added.

Hatta Rajasa, the coordinating minister for the economy and a close political ally of Yudhoyono, sought to downplay the threats by lawmakers. “I’m not convinced our friends in the House would let that happen because the state budget revision is in the people’s interests,” he said.