US State Department Highlights Wiranto's Appointment as Minister  

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Anna Richey-Allen, spokesperson for the US State Department's East Asian and Pacific affairs bureau, spoke about the appointment of Wiranto as the Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Minister.

Richey-Allen also extended her country's hope to continue strategic cooperation with the Indonesian government after President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo reshuffled his Working Cabinet on Wednesday, July 27, 2016.

"We saw the announcement of 12 new Indonesian ministers. The US hopes to strengthen the strategic partnership between the two countries and promotion of our common interests," Richey-Allen said in a press release on Thursday, July 28, 2016.

Richey-Allen conveyed a specific point related to the appointment of People's Conscience (Hanura) Party chairman Wiranto as the new Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Minister. The decision sparked criticism, particularly from human rights activists, since Wiranto was viewed to be responsible for a number of human rights violations in the past.

"We realized that there were allegations of human rights violations involving the Indonesian Military, when Wiranto served as the army commander. Human rights protection is the foundation of US foreign policies. We will continue to discuss the importance of resolution and responsibility for the human rights violations in the past," Richey-Allen added.

YOHANES PASKALIS