Former Rose Team Becomes Defense Ministry Official, Jokowi Is Seen To Have Broken More Promises

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – Amnesty International Indonesia Executive Director Usman Hamid believes that President Joko Widodo has violated his commitment to uphold human rights that he promised during the presidential election campaign.

This is because President Jokowi approved the entry of two former members of the Rose Team as officials in the Ministry of Defense (Kemenhan) led by Prabowo Subianto.

“President Jokowi will increasingly be seen to be violating his promises, especially in investigating cases of activist kidnapping and enforced disappearances, as well as past human rights violations in this country,” Usman said in a written statement. on Friday (9/25/2020).

Team Mawar is a TNI AD Group IV (Kopassus) Special Forces Command led by Prabowo when he was still Commander Kopassus.

Also Read: Jokowi Agrees, Prabowo Appoints 2 Former Mawar Team Members to Become Defense Ministry Officials

The team was the mastermind behind the activist kidnapping operation before Suharto’s fall in 1998.

It is known that Prabowo proposed the two former members of the team as officials of the Ministry of Defense and was approved by President Jokowi through Presidential Decree Number 166 / TPA 2020.

Regarding the two, Brigadier General Yulius Selvanus as head of the Defense Strategic Installation Agency and Brigadier General TNI Dadang Hendrayudha as Director General of Defense Potential.

President Jokowi’s decision to approve the appointment of former team member Rose, Usman continued, fulfilled his mistake by naming Prabowo as Defense Minister.

President Jokowi, Usman said, had completely handed over control of the state’s defense to someone suspected of involvement in crimes against humanity, including enforced disappearances.

“And now that person (Prabowo) continues to name people who have been involved in the kidnapping case that was tried in the Military Court,” he said.

Also read: Grant Prabowo’s Request, Jokowi Appoints 2 Former Mawar Team Members to Serve in the Ministry of Defense

Usman believes this has sent a worrying signal that today’s leaders have forgotten the darkest days and worst abuses committed in the Soeharto era.

Indeed, Amnesty always calls on the government to ensure that cases of past human rights violations are thoroughly investigated and fully resolved in accordance with legal justice.

“Instead of bringing those suspected of criminal responsibility to court, the government is increasingly opening the door to people implicated in past human rights violations in positions of power,” Usman said.

“This is not only a political pragmatism of power, but also an insult to human rights set in the era of reform,” he continued.