Jokowi Asked To Cancel The Appointment Of Former Rose Team Members As Ministry Of Defense Officials

President Joko Widodo (Photo: Indonesian Cabinet Secretariat)

JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo has been urged to cancel the appointment of a former member of the Rose Team as an official at the Ministry of Defense (Kemenhan). This urge came after the ministry, led by the Minister of Defense (Menhan) Prabowo Subianto, carried out a reshuffle of officials and this decision was contained in Presidential Decree (Keppres) Number 166 / TPA of 2020 concerning Dismissal and Appointment of Intermediate High Leaders within the Ministry of Defense. .

"Demand the president to remove all parties who are members of the Rose Team in the 1997-1998 enforced disappearance from public office," said Imparsial activist Husein Ahmad in a written statement quoted on Monday, September 28.

In the Presidential Decree, there are six high-ranking officers (Pati) or Echelon I Officials at the Ministry of Defense who have undergone transfers. One of them is the Director General of Defense Potential at the Ministry of Defense, which was previously held by Bondan Tiara Sofyan, now replaced by Brigadier General TNI Dadang Hendrayudha.

It is known that Dadang was a former member of the Rose Team formed by Major Bambang Kristiono in 1997 and was said to have targeted activists in the past. This team was also suspected of moving on the orders of the then Kopassus Commander General (Danjen), Prabowo Subianto.

Apart from Dadang, this Presidential Decree also appointed TNI Brigadier General Yulius Selvanus as Head of the Defense Ministry's Strategic Installation Agency, replacing Joko Supriyanto.

Returning to Husein, he said the appointment of a former member of the Rose Team as an official at the ministry was not the first time. On December 6, he said, Prabowo also appointed former Rose Team Commander Chairawan Kadasryah Nusyirwan as Special Assistant to the Minister of Defense. This appointment was based on the Decree of the Minister of Defense Number: KEP / 1869 / M / XII / 2019.

With events that occurred in the past, namely the kidnapping of 22 activists, of which nine of whom have returned in a state of persecution and 13 people such as Yani Afrie, Sony, Herman Hendrawan, Dedi Hamdung, Noval Alkatiri, Ismail, Suyat, Petrus Bima Anugerah, Widji Thukul, Ucok Munandar Siahaan, Hendra Hambali, Yadin Muhidin, and Abdun Naser have not returned yet, so this coalition considers these people not to hold public positions.

Although the Jakarta Military Court II has indeed sentenced those involved in the Mawar Team, however, the coalition consisting of a number of NGOs such as LBH Jakarta to Amnesty International and ICW thinks this is not in accordance with the actions they have taken.

This coalition expressly asks Jokowi to immediately cancel his decision if he is committed to resolving human rights violations (HAM) as his campaign promise.

"The president should not give a place for anyone who has a track record in the past as serious human rights violators to occupy public positions because this further emphasizes that President Jokowi has no commitment to resolving human rights violations," said Husein.

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The same request also came from the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (KontraS). Kontras Workers Agency, Fatia Maulidiyanti also requested that the Presidential Decree for the appointment of the two former Rose Team members be revoked.

"The appointment of Prabowo Subianto as Minister of Defense is no exception," said Fatia.

In addition, Fatia also asked Jokowi to encourage the Attorney General to follow up on the Komnas HAM investigation. "And prosecute the alleged perpetrators of gross human rights violations in the past through the adhoc human rights court," he said.

This must be done, because with the appointment KontraS concluded there were four things. First, the validity of the Presidential Decree is questioned because it is not in line with Article 5 of Law 30/2014 concerning government administration which must be based on protection of human rights.

"Second, the Joko Widodo administration is getting off track from the reform agenda by forgetting the track record of events in the past," he said.

Furthermore, the appointment is considered to be increasingly regressive the condition of human rights enforcement in Indonesia because it has not been balanced with the preparation of instruments to resolve past human rights cases.

"Fourth, this will further complicate the process of resolving cases of past gross human rights violations or the process of legal reform relating to the issue of enforced disappearance, such as the process of ratifying the Convention against Enforced Disappearances," he said.

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