Mahfud MD: May 22 Riot Unrelated to Political or Islamic Movement
Translator
Editor
23 May 2019 18:07 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Former Chief of the Constitutional Court Mahfud MD, said that the May 22 rally that turned into a violent riot cannot be categorized as a political or Islamic movement.
"Those acts cannot be claimed as a movement to support Muslims. There are no connections to that," said Mahfud at the Gerakan Suluh Kebangsaan press conference on Thursday, May 23, 2019.
He also strongly argued that it is not a political movement and is not led by presidential hopeful Prabowo Subianto.
"Pak Prabowo had already announced that they will go the legal route, not take to the streets. Which is why the perpetrator yesterday is not Prabowo, their opponent is rioters," said Mahfud.
Mahfud and the other participants of the Gerakan Suluh Kebangsaan agreed that the anarchic tendency of the protest is solely due to the rioters. This is backed by the fact that police had just arrested the thugs believed to be paid to provoke people in the protest that lasted for two days.
Moreover, Mahfud expressed his hopes of this case to be completely solved by the police and definitively reveal the actors that provoked the riot; "And [investigate] those who brought firearms outside of the Indonesian National Police standard."
HALIDA BUNGA FISANDRA
