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Muchdi bid sparks worry, old memories

Muchdi Purwopranjono’s bid to land a seat on Muhammadiyah’s executive board is handi-capped by the former top intelligence officer’s political background, members of the Muslim organization say

Arghea Desafti Hapsari (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Mon, July 5, 2010

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Muchdi bid sparks worry, old memories

M

uchdi Purwopranjono’s bid to land a seat on Muhammadiyah’s executive board is handi-capped by the former top intelligence officer’s political background, members of the Muslim organization say.

Chairman of Muhammadiyah Youth Abdul Mukti told The Jakarta Post on Sunday that chances were slim for Muchdi — former deputy chief of the State Intelligence Agency (BIN) and a former murder suspect — to win a seat on the  group’s leadership council.

Muchdi was tried in the murder of human rights figure Munir Said Thalib in 2004. He was finally acquitted of all charges on Dec. 31, 2008.

“There are two things that are being noted about Muchdi. First is the fact that he holds a leadership position in a political party… then there is also the issue of his track record, which [involves allegations] of human rights violations,” Abdul, also a council nominee, said.

Muchdi, an active member of the Greater Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra), was recently selected as one of 39 candidates to be considered for one of 13 seats on Muhammadiyah’s executive council. Of the 39, Muchdi was ranked 34 in terms of votes won.

Once elected, the 13 candidates would then elect Muhammadiyah’s chairman.

The controversy of Muchdi’s candidacy has sparked memories of the April nomination of BIN deputy chief As’ad Said Ali for deputy chairman of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), the largest Muslim organization in the country. His appointment raised suspicion of government intervention.

In 2005, during As’ad’s tenure, the intelligence agency allegedly used a charitable foundation belonging to former president Abdurrahman “Gus Dur” Wahid to hire a US lobbyist to pressure the US government to fully resume military cooperation with and aid to Indonesia.

Some have also alleged that As’ad was also involved in the murder of Munir, although Gus Dur had purportedly said As’ad was not involved.

As’ad’s close relationship to Gus Dur was thought to be one of the reasons behind his candidacy for NU leadership, an executive at the Muslim organization, Masdar, told the Post.

“It was clear that he was close to Gus Dur — I think it was a big factor in his appointment to the NU,” he said.

He refused to go into further details on why NU wanted to bring As’ad inside.

Critics slammed As’ad’s bid to join NU as an attempt to cleanse himself of past sins. The same criticism has been levelled at Muchdi.

Hari Prihartono, a military expert from Pro Patria, said, “when it comes to issues of ethics and moral values … the public [has a mechanism] to punish. If the public sees a certain figure [in Muhammadiyah] as being smothered in sin, they will [devalue] the organization.”

Abdul said Muchdi’s background “is the concern of many.” He denied allegations Muhammadiyah was trying to benefit from Muchdi’s position in Gerindra or from his experience as a former intelligence officer.

“Gerindra is a small party. If we wanted to get funds or anything we would not be able to get it from Muchdi — he is not that high in the bureaucracy. As for his background as a BIN member, Muhammadiyah is not a military organization and we don’t vie for power. So there’s not much that we would be getting from him,” he said.

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