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Energy minister remains silent over US citizenship allegation
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Trade Minister Enggartiasto Lukita (from left to right) Villages, Disadvantaged Regions and Transmigration Minister Eko Putro Sandjojo, Coordinating Legal, Security and Political Affairs Minister Wiranto, Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform Minister Asman Abnur, Industry Minister Airlangga Hartarto, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati, President Joko Widodo, Vice President Jusuf Kalla, Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister Luhut Pandjaitan, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Arcandra Tahar, Agrarian and Spatial Planning Minister Sofyan Djalil, Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi, Chairman of Indonesia Investment Coordinating Board and Thomas Lembong and Education Minister Muhadjir Effendy pose for photographers for a group shot during the announcement of the new Cabinet line-up at the State Palace in Jakarta on July 27. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)
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nergy and Mineral Resources Minister Arcandra Tahar continued to stay silent over an allegation of holding dual citizenship on Monday.
After a brief meeting with Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Wiranto, Arcandra exited Wiranto's office without responding to questions or providing clarification over claims that he is a US citizen.
"Later, just wait," Arcandra told journalists as he entered his car, refusing to provide further comment.
Social media was abuzz over the weekend regarding Arcandra's alleged dual citizenship, creating a public outcry especially since the law stipulates that ministers should hold Indonesian citizenship, directly banning anyone in a ministerial job from holding citizenship of another country.
While Arcandra himself only made a vague comment over the allegation on Saturday, saying that he was from Padang, West Sumatra, the State Palace defended Arcandra on Sunday through a statement that said the new minister held and entered the country using his Indonesian passport.
However, state law expert Denny Indriyana told The Jakarta Post earlier that holding an Indonesian Passport could not prove that Arcandra was truly an Indonesian citizen, saying that the key was whether the new minister had said the oath of allegiance to the US over the last 20 years that he spent in the country. (dan)
