Mahfud MD: Panji Gumilang Feels Comfortable So He Is Suspected Of Committing A Crime

YOGYAKARTA - Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Mahfud MD said that so far the Al Zaytun Panji Gumilang Islamic Boarding School leadership felt comfortable with his position so that he committed a number of alleged criminal acts.

"Panji Gumilang felt very comfortable and then committed allegations of criminal acts and blasphemy against religion according to the size of the general public," said Mahfud at the Yogyakarta Special Region DPRD building, reported by ANTARA, Saturday, July 15.

Mahfud said Al Zaytun had the roots of the Islamic State of Indonesia (NII) Regional Amendment (KW) IX which was the result of intelligence operations by the New Order government to break up the "original" NII members founded by Kartosoewirjo.

After NII was successfully broken down, then Panji Gumilang, who was part of the organization, broke up and founded the Al Zaytun Islamic Boarding School in 1996.

Since then, Mahfud continued, the New Order government has provided support to the boarding school.

"That's why don't be surprised, in the past Mr. BJ Habibie wanted to donate Rp1.2 trillion to build the Al Zaytun from where? That was Pak Malik Fadjar's suggestion, the Minister of Religion. That's good, the suggestion was that BIN at that time Pak Habibie was good because Panji Gumilang broke himself and made himself and really became anti-NII," he said.

According to him, Panji Gumilang, who became an anti-NII figure, then founded many buildings with the names of national figures, such as the Soekarno Building and the Hatta Building at the Al Zaytun Islamic Boarding School Complex.

"Anyway, national figures, Pancasila symbols, all (santri) must memorize Pancasila, good citizenship education, well that's what happened," he added.

After receiving support from various parties, including the government through school operational assistance funds (BOS), Al Zaytun Islamic Boarding School developed into a magnificent and luxurious Islamic boarding school.

"There it is luxurious, more luxurious than the city of Indramayu, even though it is in Indramayu. More magnificent, good like a modern city, but santri in it," said Mahfud.

The Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs suspects that because he already felt comfortable, Panji Gumilang then committed acts that were suspected of blasphemy and alleged money laundering (TPPU).

Although the alleged criminal act is still being investigated, Mahfud emphasized that the government will not close the Al Zaytun Islamic Boarding School.

"When this incident happened, it was hard for us to disperse Al Zaytun. How to disperse 5,400 children who are currently studying from elementary, junior high, high school and Islamic boarding schools. Where do you want to go? If you want to be expelled, it violates constitutional rights," he said.

According to Mahfud, this attitude was as taken by the government against the Al Mukmin Ngruki Islamic Boarding School owned by Abu Bakar Ba'asyir, who was then one of the terrorist frontmen in Indonesia.

"If we have played with iron, we will dissolve educational institutions, what will happen to the future of our legal state? We have no history at all to dissolve educational institutions," said Mahfud.