Head of PPP Wants to Make Romahurmuziy an Anti-Corruption Ambassador

Acting Chairman of PPP Muhamad Mardiono at the Presidential Palace, Jakarta, Tuesday (3/1/2023). (ANTARA/Desca Lidya Natalia)

JAKARTA - Acting Chairman of the Partai Persatuan Pembangunan (PPP) Fraction, Muhamad Mardiono, wants to make Muhammad Romahurmuziy alias Rommy an anti-corruption ambassador.

PPP previously announced that the former chairman of PPP Muhammad Romahurmuziy is returning to the party bearing the Kaaba symbol and serving as Chairman of the Advisory Council.

"We need him to provide guidance to our cadres so they don't fall into the same situation. In other words, he can be an anti-corruption ambassador in society, can be an anti-corruption ambassador among cadres of the Partai Persatuan Pembangunan", said Mardiono at the Presidential Palace, Jakarta reported by ANTARA, Tuesday, January 3.

Rommy is a former prisoner in a corruption case accepting bribes related to buying and selling positions at the Ministry of Religion in 2019. Rommy was caught in a KPK sting operation (OTT) on March 15 2019 in Surabaya, East Java.

On April 29, 2020, the Supreme Court (MA) ordered the KPK to expel Rommy, because on April 22, 2020, the DKI Jakarta High Court accepted Rommy's appeal by reducing his sentence to one year in prison and a fine of IDR 100 million, a subsidiary of three months in prison without revocation of political rights.

"He (Rommy) was indeed involved in a case, then has served all court sentences, namely with a one-year sentence, and has been served. This means that his rights must be reinstated as an Indonesian citizen because he also has not been revoked of his political rights, so his political rights as an Indonesian citizen are (still) attached to him", said Mardiono.

He also asked the public not to be apathetic towards Rommy's return to the political scene because he considered that Rommy had a wealth of experience and could even prevent corruption cases from occurring.

"He is also still young. He is also an asset because of his political mastery, former chairperson, and political blood because he is the great-grandson of the founder of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), namely the great-grandson of Kiai Tolchah Mansoer. His mother is also a reliable politician at PPP, the founder of IPP NU, and the Nahdlatul Ulama Student Association. Her father is the founder of IPNU, the Nahdlatul Ulama Student Association. So, she has warrior blood in her", said Mardiono.

He explained Rommy was deliberately placed in the Advisory Council to provide internal PPP considerations.

"Including guarding against cadres from being involved in corruption cases with his experience. It's not certain what happened to him was done on purpose. We give space to all of our cadres to take part in their place, the people will judge", he continued.

Mardiono emphasized that PPP still supports law enforcement to prevent corruption.

"That doesn't mean that we don't support the KPK or law enforcement's steps to prevent corruption. We fully support it, but we can't close someone's political rights when they have finished carrying out their sentence, right? They also have rights unless the court revokes their political rights", emphasized the Special Presidential Envoy The Field of Poverty Alleviation and Food Security Cooperation.

Regarding the plan to nominate Rommy as a member of the legislature in the 2024 election, Mardiono said that there has been no discussion regarding this matter.

"You want to be the chairman, right? Wait for 2025 because the term of office of the chairman, yes, from the 2019 congress will end in 2025; but it depends on the mechanism in organizing the congress. There are rules, but 2025 is still far away, we are still concentrating on the elections", he said.