Poet Goenawan returns Achmad Bakrie Award

  Goenawan Mohamad (JP/R. Bertho Werdhatama)

Prominent poet Goenawan Mohamad has returned an Achmad Bakrie Award, which he was given in 2004, to joint organizers the Freedom Institute and the Bakrie untuk Negeri (Bakrie for the Country) Foundation.

Goenawan handed the award back, along with Rp 100 million in prize money plus interest, recently. “In total, I gave back Rp 154 million in cash to the Freedom Institute via a friend. I believe (executive director) Rizal Mallarangeng received it,” he added, as quoted by kompas.com.

The poet said that he had decided to return the award following his disappointment with award-giver Aburizal Bakrie, who is Golkar Party chief and a businessman. Goenawan said he did not see a positive correlation between Aburizal’s track record and the essence of the award.

“I tried not to relate the award with what he does as a political figure and businessman, but the contradiction has gone too far,” he said.

Goenawan reportedly said Aburizal disappointed him when the political and business icon managed to hold Vice President Boediono and former finance minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati as the main parties responsible for the Rp 6.7 trillion (US$716 million) bailout to then ailing Bank Century (now Bank Mutiara) in 2008.

In addition, Aburizal made a statement that he did not feel sorry about the mud disaster in Sidoarjo, East, Java, which was triggered by one of his companies, Lapindo Brantas, said Goenawan.