Rizal Ramli Sindir Mahfud MD: I Was Imprisoned Suharto Still Admit His Services Involved In General Attacks March 1

Senior economist, Rizal Ramli. (Instagram/rizalramli.official)

JAKARTA - Senior economist, Rizal Ramli, has opened his voice regarding Presidential Decree (Keppres) No. 2 of 2022. The Presidential Decree does not include the name of Indonesia's 2nd President Suharto as the party involved in the March 1, 1949 General Offensive.

Rizal assessed that the services of a figure in the history of the country must still be mentioned so that it can be remembered by the nation's successors. Even though the character was authoritarian, he threw someone who disagreed with him in jail.

"I was imprisoned by Pak Harto for 1.5 years in military prison & Sukamiskin, in opposition to Pak Harto's authoritarian system. But I still acknowledge Pak Harto's services in the March 1 General Offensive," Rizal said through his Twitter account, @RamliRizal, Saturday, March 5.

Rizal then satirized the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs (Menko Polhukam) who tweeted that the initiators of the March 1, 1949 General Offensive were Soekarno, M Hatta, Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono IX, and Commander General Sudirman, without Suharto's name. Mahfud's tweet was uploaded to his Twitter account, @mohmahfudmd, Thursday, March 3.

"Mas @mohmahfudmd how come it's like that, to the point of eliminating Pak Harto's services.

Previously, Member of Commission I DPR Fadli Zon also responded to Mahfud MD's tweet. The Gerindra Party politician asked Mahfud not to obscure history by erasing Suharto's role in the General Offensive of March 1, 1949.

Mahfud MD responded by stressing that Suharto's name was still in the history of the March 1, 1949 General Offensive, even though it was not contained in Presidential Decree 2/2022.

He explained, in a number of other historical events, the names of the figures involved were also not written in full. Like the Proclamation of 1945, only a few names were written as initiators. "The presidential decree is not a history book, but the determination of one crucial historical point. The presidential decree does not eliminate the names of Suharto and others in the March 1, 1949 SU," wrote Mahfud MD via his Twitter account @ mohmahfudmd, Thursday 3 March.