Tempo Poll: Over 60 Percent against Abu Bakar Baasyir's Release

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo planned to release convicted terrorist Abu Bakar Baasyir from prison after the 81-year-old man had served two thirds of his total 15 years’ imprisonment. The president based his decision on Baasyir’s declining health.

However, his release was hampered by the fact that he declined to sign a declaration to commit to the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI), the Five State-ideology of Pancasila, and the 1945 Constitution.

Throughout the past week, Tempo.co held a poll regarding the president’s plan, which mainly asked ‘Would you agree with Abu Bakar Baasyir’s release without declaring his commitment toward the NKRI?’

Out of a total of 739 participants, 502 respondents said they disagreed with the convicted terrorist’s release (67.9 percent), 203 respondents (30.2 percent) agreed, while 14 respondents (1.9 percent) were undecided. 

Read: Abu Bakar Baasyir Freedom Assessed by Expert on Terrorism

In terms of Baasyir’s unconditional release, presidential chief of staff Moeldoko maintained that the government would not release the convict as long as he did not meet the government’s requirements.

“The main thing is that the president is taking the human approach, but there are principles that need to be fulfilled,” said Moeldoko at the Presidential Palace Complex in Jakarta on January 21.

Former Constitutional Court (MK) chief justice Mahfud MD argued that Abu Bakar Baasyir could not be unconditionally released from prison since a “not guilty” verdict was required to do so.

However, Mahfud referred to the international convention and said that Abu Bakar Baasyir was eligible for parole since as he was over 70 years of age and had undergone two thirds of his prison sentence.

TEMPO.CO