Moeldoko: Rizieq Shihab's Homecoming Not Govt's Responsibility

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Presidential Chief of Staff Moeldoko sarcastically suggested Islam Defenders Front (FPI) leader Rizieq Shihab return on his own attempt and asserted that the Habib initially left Indonesia on his own will.

“Return home on your own. I’ll buy you the flight ticket myself if you don’t,” Moeldoko quipped at the Bogor Presidential Palace on Tuesday, July 9.

Moeldoko is admittedly bewildered by the numerous pressure from several people urging the government to bring home Rizieq – who is currently in Mecca, Saudi Arabia – even though the FPI frontman left not because he was ousted by the government.

“So who left and who’s going to bring him home. He left by himself, didn’t he? Why are there requests to accommodate him back home? We didn’t oust him, did we? Of course not,” Moeldoko said.

Previously reported, Gerindra Party spokesman Dahnil Anzar Simanjuntak suggested that the political reconciliation after a heated the 2019 presidential election will only happen after talks about bringing Rizieq home to Indonesia.

Dahnil – in a tweet on Thursday, July 4 - personally argued that the national political reconciliation can only happen once the “criminalization against supporters of Prabowo – Sandiaga Uno” is ended.

Rizieq Shihab departed from Indonesia after he was incriminated in a criminal case regarding a lewd text message exchange with a woman. The case has since been dropped in June of 2018. In numerous occasions, however, Prabowo Subianto promised to bring the Habib home if he triumphs the presidential election, which he did not.

FRISKI RIANA