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TNI commander Gatot moves closer to Muslim groups
Gatot gathers with 8,500 people, religious figures for mass prayer on Thursday. Gatot has been touted as potential contender in 2019 presidential election.
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Indonesian Military (TNI) commander Gen. Gatot Nurmantyo (center), accompanied by Presidential Security Detail (Paspampres) commander Brig. Gen. Suhartono (right) and Maj. Gen. Bambang Suswantono (left), speaks to journalists after the Paspampres commander handover ceremony in Jakarta on March 14. Suhartono replaced Bambang, who was appointed as new chief of the Indonesian Navy’s Marine Corps. (Antara/Saptono)
H
e has toured pesantren (Islamic boarding schools), attended mass prayers and fired off praise for clerics and santri (pesantren students), calling them the vanguard of the nation’s defense. The charismatic Indonesian Military (TNI) commander Gen. Gatot Nurmantyo has gone the extra mile to woo supporters from Muslim communities.
His videos showcasing his interactions with clerics and santri have become a common sight on YouTube over the past year. In several videos, Gatot ends his speech with the tagline “striving to turn Indonesia into a nation of victory.”
Gatot’s endeavors to court Muslim communities took on a notable tone on Thursday evening as he gathered with 8,500 people for a mass prayer to celebrate Indonesia’s 72nd Independence Day at a time when most people were trying to win prizes from neighborhood competitions traditionally held to commemorate the day.
The TNI said the event was attended by religious figures, at least 19 national and international-acclaimed hafiz (Quran reciters), military personnel and citizens.
Read also: TNI involvement in counterterrorism could be unconstitutional: Kompolnas
Gatot, who has been rumored to hold ambitions of running in the upcoming presidential race, led the prayer dubbed the “Mass Prayer 17 17 17,” a reference to the time it was held on Aug. 17, 2017, at 17:00 (5 p.m.).
The prayer was held simultaneously in many locations across the country, but was centered in military bases in Jakarta. It remains unclear how the TNI financed the event.
