Jakarta, CNN Indonesia –
Extraordinary Deliberation (National Conference) Party Work appoints Former Commander General of the Indonesian Army Special Forces, Muchdi Purwoprandjono or Muchdi Pr as chairman of the Working Party 2020-2025. With Muchdi’s election, Karya was split in two. Another camp is still under the leadership of Hutomo Mandala Putra or Tommy Suharto.
The National Conference was said to have been protested by Tommy Suharto’s camp, but it was still held until Muchdi was elected.
In fact, the National Conference also produced a decision to change the name of the party to the Beringin Karya (Berkarya) Party. From what was originally only called the Work, which was founded on May 5, 2016.
Before deciding to engage in politics, Muchdi himself was better known to the public as a military figure. The 1970 Military Academy (Akmil) graduate was known as one of the most outstanding officers in the New Order era.
Muchdi served as Tanjungpura Regional Military Commander (Kodam) in 1985. Then, he was appointed as Commander General (Danjen) of the Special Forces Command (Kopassus) replacing Prabowo Subianto who was promoted to Pangkostrad in March 1998.
After Soeharto and the New Order fell, Muchdi still gained the strategic position of the government. He occupied the position of Deputy V of the State Intelligence Agency (Bakin) in the Field of Mobilization in 2001-2005.
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Work Party Politicians who are members of the Working Party Rescuer Presidium. (CNN Indonesia / Andry Novelino)- – |
After his retirement from the military, Muchdi decided to enter the country’s political arena. His first labuhan fell on the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra). Together with his best friend, Prabowo Subianto and several other prominent figures, he founded the party on February 6, 2008.
Muchdi immediately got a prestigious position as Deputy Chairman of the Gerindra Party after it was founded. It is known, Muchdi and Prabowo themselves have a very close friendship for a long time.
However, the two had a joint venture in mid-February 2011. Muchdi then decided to leave Gerindra and later joined the United Development Party (PPP).
“At the request of PPP cadres in the regions,” Muchdi said about joining the PPP in mid-2011.
The 2014 presidential election proved that Muchdi no longer supported Prabowo. At that time, he chose to support the couple Joko Widodo (Jokowi) and Jusuf Kalla (JK) rather than supporting Prabowo-Hatta Rajasa.
In fact, this attitude is contrary to the official PPP political position which supports the Prabowo-Hatta pair. Muchdi himself is known to have joined the Matahari Indonesia Volunteer who supported Jokowi-JK.
For a long time no action was heard, Muchdi’s figure reappeared in 2018 ago. This time, he has changed the party’s port by establishing the Working Party with the sons of the Republic of Indonesia’s 2nd President, Suharto, Hutomo Mandala Putera or Tommy Soeharto in 2018.
Muchdi was immediately appointed as Deputy Chairman of the Working Party Board of Trustees.
During the 2019 Presidential Election, Muchdi openly maneuvered to support Jokowi, who this time was paired with Ma’ruf Amin. In fact, the Workers’ Party itself has declared its support for Prabowo Subianto-Sandiaga Uno in the 2019 Presidential Election.
“Because I see that Mr. Jokowi has done a lot in the past five years,” the reason Muchdi supports Jokowi-Ma’ruf in February 2019.
The Chairperson of the Karya Karya Party in another camp, Tommy Soeharto himself, previously stated that he had already fired his cadres who wanted the election. They are members of the Presidium of the Working Party Rescuers.
“Deciding unanimously to dismiss the management of the Work Party DPP as well as permanent dismissal of the names of those who did what was called the Presidium of the Workers Party,” said Secretary General of the Working Party Priyo Budi Santoso.
Priyo was reluctant to mention the names and number of the Party of Workers cadres who were fired.
He only emphasized that these people no longer had the right to act on behalf of the party and to use the symbols of the Working Party in their activities.
One of the cadres who joined the presidium was the Chairman of the Work Party DPP, Badarudin Andi Picunang. He had previously said the failure in 2019 was the result of irregular party internal management. Therefore, Badar called for an evaluation and change of leadership in the Party of Work.
Badar also stated that his party would hold a National Conference on July 11, 2020. In fact, he said that the figures of Muchdi Pr and Tommy would compete for the Chair of the Karya Karya Party for the coming period.
Escaped from the Munir Case
In addition, the name Muchdi Pr is often linked in the murder of humanitarian and human rights activist Munir Said Thalib.
Munir was declared dead on a flight to Amsterdam on a Garuda Indonesia flight on September 6, 2004.
On June 19, 2008 or approximately four years after the incident occurred, Muchdi was officially arrested by the police and named a suspect. He was charged with Article 340 of the Criminal Code regarding premeditated murder.
The Munir Fact Finding Team (TPF) said Muchdi was involved in a dispute over Munir’s murder with Pollycarpus Budihari Prijanto. The TPF recorded at least 27 Pollycarpus cellphone calls to Muchdi’s cellphone.
The TPF even stated that there were six communications from Polly’s telephone to the BIN office number, precisely the Muchdi room where the office number was known to be BIN’s secret number. In addition, communication was also carried out four times from Pollycarpus’ landline number to the number used by Muchdi.
However, luck is still on Muchdi’s side regarding Munir’s case. The South Jakarta District Court Panel of Judges declared Muchdi PR free from all charges on 31 December 2008. While Pollycarpus had to accept the fact of receiving a sentence of 14 years in prison for the case.
(rzr / on)
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