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Setya won't read declaration of independence: State Palace
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Barbed wire is installed in front of the State Palace in Central Jakarta on Friday. Wardhana.jpg (JP/Seto Wardhana)
T
he State Palace has dropped a controversial plan to assign embattled House of Representatives Setya Novanto to read out the declaration of independence during an event on Aug. 17, State Secretary Pratikno has said.
"As far as I know, we only sent a letter to the People's Consultative Assembly [MPR]," Pratikno said as quoted by tempo.co. referring to a plan to give the role to MPR Speaker Zulfifli Hasan.
It has been an annual tradition for the House speaker to read out the declaration of independence during the Aug. 17 celebration at the palace.
Anti-graft activists have called on the State Palace not to give the honor to Setya, who has been named a suspect by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) in the electronic identity card (e-ID) case.
"Do you think it's appropriate for a graft suspect to read out the declaration of independence?" Indonesian Corruption Watch (ICW) activist Adnan Topan Husodo earlier said.
"The declaration of independence means that we're free, including free from corruption," he said. (mtr)
