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Gatot Nurmantyo, Arief Hidayat to be among Bintang Mahaputra recipients
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Then-Indonesian Military (TNI) commander Gen. Gatot Nurmantyo speaks during a discussion held at the House of Representatives building in Central Jakarta on Sept. 27, 2017. (Antara/Wahyu Putro A)
T
he government is set to honor several figures, including former Indonesian Military (TNI) commander Gatot Nurmantyo and former Constitutional Court chief justice Arief Hidayat, with Bintang Mahaputra medals in recognition of their professional accomplishments over the years.
Coordinating Legal, Political and Security Affairs Minister Mahfud MD announced on his official Twitter account that President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo would also officially recognize historical figures SM Amin and Soekanto Tjokrodiatmodjo, among others, as national heroes later this month.
“On Nov. 10 and 11, the President will award the titles of national hero and Bintang Mahaputra. [National hero] awardees include SM Amin and Soekanto, while [Bintang Mahaputra] recipients include Gatot Nurmantyo and Arief Hidayat,” Mahfud tweeted on Tuesday.
Tgl 10 dan 11 November 2020 Presiden akan menganugerahkan gelar Pahlawan Nasiona (PN) dan Bintang Mahaputera (BM). Yg dpt gelar PN, antara lain, SM Amin dan Soekanto; yg dpt BM, antara lain, Gatot Nurmantyo dan Arief Hidayat.
— Mahfud MD (@mohmahfudmd) November 3, 2020
Following his retirement from the military, Gatot together with hundreds of other national figures formed the Save Indonesia Coalition (KAMI) – a movement with the stated aim of preventing any deviations from Indonesia’s founding principles – earlier this year.
He currently served as KAMI presidium board member.
Gatot has previously criticized the Jokowi administration, most recently for its “repressive” handling of criticisms and protests against the controversial Job Creation Law.
Meanwhile, Arief Hidayat currently still serves among the nine-panel bench of the Constitutional Court.
In 2018, Jokowi inaugurated Arief Hidayat as a Constitutional Court justice for his second and final term despite mounting public calls for the justice to step down from his post. Following his inauguration, he was again reelected as the court's chief justice.
During his first term as chief justice between 2015 and 2017, Arief drew criticism for violating justice ethics twice – in 2016 and in 2017. He was given light sanctions in both cases.
On the list to be national heroes, SM Amin was a prominent figure within the Youth Pledge Movement that went on to influence Indonesia’s independence. He served as the first governor of North Sumatra, Aceh and Riau before his death in 1993 at 89 years old.
Soekanto was inaugurated by the country’s first president and founding father Soekarno as the first National Police chief following independence. He passed away in 1993 at 85 years old.
