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Angered SBY says Munir’s case now in Jokowi’s hands

In an unprecedented turn of events on Wednesday, former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono lashed out at basically every major occurrence in the country’s current political scene and ranted about the allegation that he was involved in the murder of human rights activist Munir Said Thalib

Ina Parlina and Nurul Fitri Ramadhani (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Thu, November 3, 2016

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Angered SBY says Munir’s case now in Jokowi’s hands

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n an unprecedented turn of events on Wednesday, former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono lashed out at basically every major occurrence in the country’s current political scene and ranted about the allegation that he was involved in the murder of human rights activist Munir Said Thalib.

Despite an earlier attempt to end the controversy by delivering a copy of his administration’s report into the high-profile murder case, he expressed anger for being dragged into the case in the first place.

Speaking in front of journalists at his private residence in Cikeas, Bogor, the chairman of the Democratic Party complained about the fact that his name was still being implicated with regards to the case.

Yudhoyono, also known by his initials SBY, said he received a message from officials at the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) that they wanted to meet him regarding the controversy just one day after he said to the media that Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Wiranto had said the government would not issue an order to investigate the former president.

“Isn’t there something wrong that the state makes me a suspect in Munir’s murder? Has the world turned upside down that [I] have been implicated in the conspiracy surrounding Munir’s murder? Come on, use [your] common sense,” he said in a high pitch.

Yudhoyono ordered an independent fact-finding team (TPF) to investigate the politically-charged murder case when he was in office, but there was no follow-up to the team’s findings. Recently, the State Secretariat claimed that the report was missing, prompting human rights groups to demand that other parties reveal the documents.

“The President already knows the recommendations from the [fact-finding] team. Now the ball is in the current administration’s court,” Yudhoyono said.

Yudhoyono said President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo had the right to extend the case if he believed that he, Yudhoyono, had not properly dealt with it. But Yudhoyono expressed annoyance that the public continued to scrutinize him about the copy of the report.

Jokowi seemed calm after Yudhoyono submitted a copy of the report to the State Secretariat, despite the apparent move by Yudhoyono to throw a curve ball at his successor. Jokowi, through his spokesman Johan Budi, said a verification process would take place to see whether the received report was the same as the original, despite the fact that former TPF head and retired general Marsudi Hanafi signed the copy of the report, confirming that it was identical to the original. He said this verification process would be handled by the AGO.

However, the State Palace has been tight-lipped following Yudhoyono’s statement on Wednesday, with Johan and Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung refusing to comment.

Activists and some former TPF members believe that top State Intelligence Agency (BIN) officers, such as former BIN chief AM Hendropriyono, were involved in the murder that occurred in the final days of the Megawati Soekarnoputri administration. Megawati is chairwoman of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) and is known to be a close friend of Hendropriyono’s.

Hendropriyono has repeatedly denied any role in the incident. Munir was murdered with arsenic on his way to the Netherlands on a Garuda Indonesia flight in 2004.

Human rights campaigner Wahyudi Djafar called on Jokowi to settle the controversy by focusing on concrete steps. “Jokowi should first invite all former TPF members to verify the authenticity of the copy [from Yudhoyono],” Wahyudi said. “After it is verified, he can immediately order all related law enforcement bodies to follow up on the TPF’s recommendations.”

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