Wiranto Becomes Coordinating Minister For Political, Legal And Security Affairs Called An Insult To Human Rights In Today's Memory, 27 July 2016

Wiranto, who once served as TNI Commander in the 1998-1999 era. (ANTARA)

JAKARTA Memories of today, eight years ago, July 27, 2016, Amnesty International commented on the appointment of Wiranto as Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs (Menkopolhukam). Amnesty considered the appointment an insult to human rights.

Previously, Wiranto was often associated with past sins. Wiranto is considered to have the highest command in the political crisis in East Timor in 1999. Wiranto is said to know how riots were present and spread after the people of East Timor chose to be independent.

The Indonesia-East Timor conflict is one of the dark periods in the nation's history. At first, the relationship was harmonious. However, recently East Timor wanted to be separated from Indonesia. Indonesia doesn't just let East Timor go.

The owner of power feels that East Timor is part of Indonesia. Those who are against the government are considered rebels. However, the struggle of the people of East Timor to gain independence from Indonesia began to be seen in 1999.

The TNI Commander, Wiranto, invited his staff to be on standby to secure the referendum process on August 30, 1999. East Timorese can choose between Indonesia and Indonesia. In fact, all East Timorese people chose to become an independent nation with 75 percent of voters.

This condition immediately triggered the presence of gross human rights violations in East Timor. Riots occur everywhere. As a result, thousands of people died. The incident continues to provoke international news.

Wiranto is considered the most responsible figure. Wiranto was also removed from his position as TNI Commander in the era of President Abdurrahman Wahid (Gus Dur). The removal was carried out in order to reduce conflicts with the international community.

When attending an international meeting in Davos, Switzerland, Abdurahman Wahid also received questions from many parties about the genocide that occurred in East Timor ahead and after the 1998 referendum. Gus Dur replied by promising to immediately fire General Wiranto after being found guilty by the court.

Still in Switzerland, President Gus Dur corrected his statement, saying that General Wiranto would be asked to withdraw from his Cabinet as soon as he landed in Jakarta. Even when he arrived in the Netherlands, Gus Dur again corrected his statement, saying he had ordered Defense Minister Mahfud MD to ask Wiranto to resign. In the Netherlands, Gus Dur also stated that there would be a secret meeting of several generals on Jalan Lau Tse, Jakarta, to overthrow him, "said Sri Bintang Pamungkas in the book Change Regime. Change 2014).

Wiranto was never tried by the court regarding the East Timor riots. In fact, President Jokowi appointed him as Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs on July 27, 2016. Wiranto was elected because he was considered to have filled the position previously filled by Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan.

Criticism immediately appeared on the day of Wiranto's inauguration. The criticism arose from the International NGO, Amnesty International. They said Wiranto's appointment was a form of insult to human rights. This condition is because Wiranto is considered incomplete regarding past human rights conflicts.

However, Wiranto has his own answer. He revealed that under his control 700 East Timor referendum polling stations were safe.

The election of Wiranto as Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs adds to the insult to human rights. Jokowi has now decided to hand over control of state security to someone charged with crimes against humanity by a UN-sponsored court, "said Deputy Director for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, Josef Benedict.