TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - United Kingdom’s former Labour Party Prime Minister Tony Blair is reportedly admitted as a member of Indonesia’s new capital city steering committee, which was initially announced by Coordinating Minister of Maritime Affairs and Investments, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan.

“Yes, [he has agreed to join the committee],” said Luhut at the Hotel Mulia in Central Jakarta on Wednesday, January 15, 2020. This information was also announced by Luhut’s ministry from its Twitter account.

This effectively places Tony Blair alongside SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son and led by United Arab Emirates (UAE) Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Blair started his career at UK’s labor party and took the position as prime minister in 1997 replacing John Major. He remained as PM for a decade until 2007 where he was replaced by Gordon Brown.

One of Tony Blair’s notable decisions was to involve the UK in the occupation of Iraq together with the United States in 2003. The occupation sparked the Iraq war and the fall of Saddam Hussein, who was eventually executed in 2006.

He later apologized in 2015 regarding Britain’s involvement in Iraq in an interview with CNN’s Fareed Zakaria.

Despite Tony Blair’s track record, Luhut Pandjaitan said that it is not an issue they plan to dwell on. “Yes, that is not our business,” said the Coordinating Minister. Luhut maintained that the government needs an international figure such as Tony Blair within the steering committee.

FAJAR PEBRIANTO