PDIP Politician Deems Soeharto the Master of Corruption

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Prabowo Subianto’s statement in ‘the World in 2019 Gala Dinner‘, about the cancerous corruption among Indonesia’s elites sparked a reaction from Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) deputy secretary general, Ahmad Basarah.

Basarah retaliated by stating that corruption had flourished in the New Order era that was led by Prabowo’s father-in-law Soeharto, who famously held office for 31 years.

“The Temporary People's Consultative Assembly Decree (TAP MPR) No. 11/1998 suggests that the teacher of corruption is President Soeharto,” said Basarah yesterday at the Megawati Institute in Jakarta.

Basarah implied that the TAP MPR had set programs to eradicate corruption, collusion, and nepotism, and ordered a law enforcement against suspected corruptors, which includes the late president Soeharto.

He maintained that presidential hopeful Prabowo Subianto is part of a corruptive regime during the New Order and that today’s flourishing corrupt habits are the legacy left behind by that regime. The PDIP politician also said that extraordinary measures must be taken together rather than scapegoating.

“[Eradicating corruption] is our shared homework that we must solve together, however, the source of this habit had existed since the New Order administration where Prabowo Subianto had taken part of,” said Basarah.

FIKRI ARIGI