DPR Urges TNI Neutrality Not To Be Withdrawn To Presidential Election Competition

Apples of TNI members (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - Chairman of Commission I of the DPR Meutya Hafid appealed to the political elite not to associate the case of the persecution of 7 candidate pairs number 3, Ganjar Pranowo-Mahfud MD with the neutrality of the TNI. According to the head of the defense commission, the TNI does not need to be drawn into the context of the presidential election competition. This was said by Meutya in response to the statement of the Secretary General of PDIP Hasto Kristiyanto who suspected that there was a sympathizer of Presidential Candidate number 2, Prabowo Subianto as the perpetrator. Because, Hasto considered that there was a confusion in Prabowo's capacity as Minister of Defense. "It is unfortunate if later the case in Boyolali is more thick the political element than the law. We should have relied on this in the existing legal process. The TNI is a neutral institution, there is no need to pull the TNI into political competition," said Meutya to reporters, Tuesday, January 2. The Golkar politician asked that the issue not be linked to the issue of TNI neutrality. "Don't all of them be drawn into the issue of TNI neutrality, added Meutya.' According to him, if there is a violation and violence in the field, then it should be dealt with firmly with the applicable law. No exception, if it is done by TNI elements or political party sympathizers. If there are people who violate, please process it firmly, both from the TNI party and from the driver if it is proven to violate the rules. This must be dealt with the applicable law, so that it is clear. So there is no need to be drawn into the vulnerable political realm of interest," said the Deputy Chairperson of TKN Prabowo-Gibran it. Meutya then urged all parties not to be suspicious of the TNI. Moreover, he said, the TNI is a record holder of the highest public confidence level compared to other state institutions, according to various survey institutions. Unfortunately, in a survey conducted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in the 13-18 December 2023 range. The survey put the TNI at the top level with the public trust representation to reach 91,2 percent.'TNI is the pride of our society, from various surveys,

Previously, the issue of TNI neutrality arose because of protests by PDI PDIP Secretary General Hasto Kristiyanto regarding the violence of TNI personnel with the position of Presidential Candidate Prabowo Subianto as Minister of Defense. Even Hasto said that there was an element of the TNI that was Prabowo's sympathizers. "We protest strongly against the actions of these TNI personnel. The TNI personnel acted like that allegedly because there were elements in the TNI that were sympathizers of Pak Prabowo because they were both military backgrounds," said Hasto in his statement, Monday, January 1.