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Embattled Minister of Justice and Human Rights Patrialis Akbar has jumped to the defense of his colleagues pictured nodding off during a briefing at the State Palace and blamed the media for portraying Indonesian officials in a negative light.

Speaking at the presidential complex in Central Jakarta on Tuesday, Patrialis said that because the ministers had watched the final of the World Cup together early on Monday morning, it was only natural that they would be sleepy in the morning.

He said it was “only human” that the cabinet ministers and senior government officials would be sleepy if they had only slept for an hour after the match had finished before assuming their state responsibilities.

“So nodding off is a little bit normal,” he said, referring to television images of the senior officials close to or dozing off during a news briefing on President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s new situation room, which has been built for, among other things, keeping a closer eye on the performances of the ministers.

Patrialis then set his sights on the media, saying that “I also saw some journalists yawn, only not being shown on camera.”

Despite saying that being sleepy was “normal,” the minister, recently one of 25 percent of Yudhoyono’s cabinet given a failing grade for his performance since taking office last year, suggested that journalists refrain from broadcasting images that could portray them in a negative light and be seen by the international community.

“It will shame our officials and should not be shown,” he said. “They have to work hard, so why bother with small mistakes.”

Communication and Information Technology Minister Tifatul Sembiring, another minister to make Yudhoyono’s list of ministers to have “red marks” recorded against their names, said that though he did not sleep during the meeting, he may have yawned.

“But yawning a little bit is normal,” he wrote on his Twitter account. “Yawning and sleeping are only human if we watch the World Cup.”

The House of Representatives on Monday morning was forced to delay its first plenary session after a monthlong recess for several hours until enough lawmakers bothered to turn up to form a quorum.

Since the House was elected late last year, it has failed to pass a single piece of legislation, already drawing negative comparisons with the last batch of legislators, many of whom were blasted as tardy, corrupt and passing poorly thought out pieces of legislation, if at all.