The Chief of the Presidential Staff Office (KSP) General (ret) Moeldoko responded to the recent maneuvers of the so-called Coalition to Save Indonesia (KAMI), an opposition group led by the former Military (TNI) Commander General (ret) Gatot Nurmantyo and former Chairman of PP Muhammadiyah Din Syamsuddin. Moeldoko, who is also a former military commander, strongly warned the group against creating political instability.

Moeldoko, in a written statement dated Oct. 1, said that the Government was open to criticism from various groups, including KAMI. But he said that he’s aware of KAMI consisting of people with vested interests. He warned them against creating political instability. Moeldoko even said that there was a risk of maneuvers.

Moeldoko also responded to the anti-communist issue voiced by KAMI. He said that the issue was made to appear deliberately for certain purposes, i.e., of creating fear. The Governor of the respected National Resilience Institute (Lemhanas) Lt. Gen. (ret) Agus Widjojo also said that the reemergence of anti-communist issue was done deliberately for political purposes.

To Gatot Nurmantyo, Moeldoko said that the former’s claim that he was dismissed from his position back in December 2017 because he had ordered the screening of the G30S/PKI movie was subjective. He said that President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has a comprehensive reason for a succession in the military. Moeldoko, as we all know, is Gatot’s predecessor. He served as military commander from August 30, 2013 to July 8, 2015. Gatot, meanwhile, served as military commander July 8, 2015 to December 8, 2017. Gatot was replaced by the Air Chief Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto. At the time, Gatot only had three months left before his mandatory retirement on March 13, 2018. So, it made sense to say that the decision to replace Gatot with Hadi Tjahjanto was just a regular succession.

Apart from his written statement, Moeldoko has been busy visiting some high-profile figures while visiting Central Java and Yogyakarta in the past few days. One of his recent meetings worth highlighting was the meeting with the Chairman of PP Muhammadiyah Haedar Nashir. Haedar lives in Yogyakarta. The meeting between Moeldoko and Haedar Nashir took place at the Gedung Graha Suara Muhammadiyah in Yogyakarta on Friday, Oct. 2. In the said meeting, both figures discussed the COVID-19 pandemic and its mitigation. Moeldoko, meanwhile, delivered the Government’s appreciation for Muhammadiyah’s contribution in helping the Government handle the pandemic. Moeldoko also met with Yogyakarta Governor Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X, and the Governor of Central Java Ganjar Pranowo, who is also a politician from the ruling party PDIP.

We can safely say that Moeldoko’s meeting with Haedar Nashir was a strategic meeting. Haedar and his Muhammadiyah have been very active in criticizing the Government during the pandemic. Given the situation, one can understand if some believe that Moeldoko is trying to reach out to Muhammadiyah. But let’s see whether Moeldoko’s move can help the Government maintain stability.

That being said, it’s also worth mentioning that KAMI has responded back to Moeldoko’s statement. Din Syamsuddin, who is one of the presidium chairmen of KAMI alongside Gatot Nurmantyo and Rochmad Wahab, asked Moeldoko to not threaten his group. He asked the Government to not shut down its critics.

KAMI was established on August 18, 2020. Other than Gatot and Din, Amien Rais was also present in the declaration event of KAMI. The Group has been actively rallying behind, among others, the anti-communist campaign. But anti-communist issue is a recycled issue. The issue always reemerges once the opportunity arises.

By Haryanto Suharman

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