TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Deputy Chairman of the Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) Party, Fadli Zon, demanded that the charges for attempted treason against Rachmawati Soekarnoputri, a member of Gerindra Supervisory Board, must be dropped. Fadli argued that the allegation has disrupted democracy in Indonesia.
Fadli said that according to Gerindra Chairman Prabowo Subianto, Rachmawati would never attempt to overthrow the government. "We respect the ongoing legal proceedings. But, it's impossible for the daughter of a proclamator to attempt initate a coup," Fadli said on Monday, January 9, 2017.
Fadli considered the requests made by Rachmawati, who demanded the Constitution to be returned to its original form, as a reasonable request. "What coup? So if an angry citizen criticizes [the government] it'll be called a coup," Fadli added.
Gerindra, according to Fadli, will provide legal support for Rachmawati. Rachmawati is scheduled to visit the House of Representatives on Tuesday, January 10, 2017, to explain the chronology of her arrest.
AHMAD FAIZ