TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) deputy speaker Hidayat Nur Wahid reacted to a rumor - which was first made public by PDIP Party politician Masinton Pasaribu - suggesting that palm oil companies were behind the discourse of postponing the 2024 elections (Pemilu).

"If this information from Masinton Pasaribu turns out to be true, suggesting that palm firms had sponsored the election postponement by paying for MPR meeting sessions to change the constitution, then this is clearly a serious crime," Hidayat wrote in a tweet from his personal account @hnurwahid on Monday, April 25, 2022.

Hidayat has openly pushed for this information to be investigated and hopes the Attorney General's Office (AGO) would eventually uncover the truth behind this rumor. He also strongly expressed that he is against "such evil maneuvers," and that "harsh punishments" must be handed to the palm oil company involved.

Previously, Masinton Pasaribu claimed that he had heard alleged fundraising for the election postponement was hosted by owners of palm oil businesses and claims that the recent cooking oil scarcity and skyrocketing prices in the market were a direct effect of this fundraising.

"Yes, I have information from someone who suspects that part of the reason for the cooking oil scarcity, and the rising prices that followed it, and the export-oriented mentality for the commodity was because of plans to postpone the electron [Pemilu]," said Masinton.

As previously reported, the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) named 4 (four) people suspected to have committed corruption by permitting exports of crude palm oil and dragged an official in the Trade Ministry and a number of senior management members of palm oil companies.

M JULNIS FIRMANSYAH