There Is No Discourse On When Ma'ruf Amin's Meeting With Rizieq Shihab

Vice President of the Republic of Indonesia Ma'ruf Amin. (Photo: Antara)

Vice President Ma'ruf Amin welcomed the idea of a meeting with the leader of the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) mass organization Muhammad Rizieq Shihab. However, Masduki Baidlowi, spokesman for the Vice President, cannot confirm when the meeting will be held.

"That, until now, the Vice President has not had a plan or agenda to meet HRS. The Vice President has never issued a statement, nor has he had the initiative to meet HRS," Masduki said in his press statement, Saturday, November 21.

Masduki responded to the growing news regarding the discourse of a meeting between the Vice President and the FPI leadership. According to him this was simply his spontaneous response to media inquiries.

"The news of the meeting was merely a spontaneous response to me as the vice president's spokesman for media inquiries regarding the idea of a meeting between the Vice President and HRS," he explained.

Previously it was reported that there was already an Islamic community organization (ormas) that had offered to hold a meeting between Vice President Ma'ruf Amin and Rizieq Shihab. However, the Vice President's spokesman emphasized that the meeting was not something that had to be a polemic as long as it was good.

"The Rizieq Shihab problem will not be resolved here, there must be dialogue. Once again, this is the idea from the public that the Vice President is asked to respond. Regarding political perceptions and the various kinds, it is inevitable, he said, as quoted by Antara Friday, November 20.