Often Hit By Human Rights Violation Issues When Candidates For Presidential Election, Prabowo: If You Believe You Don't Have To Choose Me

Ketum Partai Gerindra, Prabowo Subianto. (Photo via Antara)

JAKARTA - Gerindra Party chairman Prabowo Subianto agrees that the issue of human rights violators (HAM) always appears when he runs for presidential candidate (candidate). However, he admitted that he did not want to bother because people were free to choose.

"Indeed, every time I come, especially if my poll numbers are a bit good, it has started to come out (issues) of human rights and so on," Prabowo said as quoted from the Mata Najwa program, Friday, June 30.

Prabowo then explained that he had participated in the presidential election (pilpres) four times. First, when the 2004 General Election ran as a presidential candidate through the conference carried out by the Golkar Party.

Then in the 2009 election, Prabowo ran as a vice presidential candidate accompanying the Chairperson of the PDI-P Megawati Soekarnoputri. Then run as a presidential candidate in the 2014 and 2019 elections.

So, he is no longer surprised by such issues. Moreover, Prabowo said, the issue of human rights is a risk because he is a former TNI soldier.

"I consider this a risk. As a soldier, I have carried out my duties as well as possible in accordance with my oath. I took my life many times for the republic for the people," said the former Danjen Kopassus.

The Minister of Defense ensured that he was not afraid to face human rights issues directed at him, especially regarding the 1998 incident. At that time, he was accused of being responsible for the kidnapping of a number of activists.

"So I am calm, I am not going anywhere, so it's true that I don't always say this is it, I want a coup, right and some of it is kidnapping, killing, right. So what do you want, what do I do," said Prabowo.

Moreover, people are free to choose or not to choose themselves because Indonesia is a democratic country. "And like this, this is democracy," said Prabowo.

"If the people believe all the accusations, then the people don't have to choose me, it's over," he concluded.