http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2010/07/04/din-backs-muchdi-bid-muhammadiyah039s-executive-board.html
Din backs Muchdi to bid Muhammadiyah's executive board The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sun, 07/04/2010 4:03 PM | National Muhammadiyah chairman Din Syamsudin has expressed his backup to former Kopassus chief Maj. Gen. Muchdi Purwopranjono following his bid as a member of the organization's executive board. "I don't see any problem [should Muchdi take the bid]. He does not get involved in ongoing legal problems," Din said Sunday on the sidelines of Muhammadiyah's 46th congress and centennial anniversary in Yogyakarta. He said that Muchdi has met qualifications to join the race, saying that former State Intelligence Agency official Muchdi's bidding was recommended by an independent Tapak Suci martial arts grup, added Din as quoted by tempointeraktof.com. Muchdi once accused of masterminding a murder of human rights activist Munir Said Thalib before being acquitted by the Supreme Court in 2009. ++++ http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2010/07/04/exspy%E2%80%99s-candidacy-under-fire.html Ex-spy's candidacy under fire Slamet Susanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sun, 07/04/2010 11:39 AM | Headlines A solidarity group for murdered human rights activist Munir Said Thalib has warned Muhammadiyah of backlash should it elect Muchdi PR, who was once a principal suspect in the Munir case, to its central executive board. Muchdi, a former State Intelligence Agency deputy chief, was charged with masterminding Munir's murder on a Garuda flight to Amsterdam in 2004. The South Jakarta District Court acquitted Muchdi of all charges and the Supreme Court upheld the verdict last year. "The Anti-Judicial Mafia Taskforce has been reviewing the court's decision to free Muchdi - and the Judicial Commission is currently conducting an examination of his controversial acquittal and will soon publish its findings," the solidarity committee for Munir, known as Kasum, said in a statement. Muchdi is also implicated in the kidnapping of pro-democracy activists during political uprisings from 1997-1998, the group said. Muhammadiyah's tanwir meeting on Friday selected Muchdi as one of 39 candidates to be considered for seats on the 13-strong central leadership body during the organization's congress in Yogyakarta from July 3 to July 8. Congress committee secretary Budi Setiawan said Muchdi's candidacy did not violate any of the organization's standing orders. Muchdi, a renowned figure among members of the Muhammadiyah-affiliated martial art group, Tapak Suci (Holy Path), managed to collect 80 votes during the tanwir meeting. When asked about Muchdi's alleged involvement in Munir's murder, Budi said Muchdi had been proven innocent under the law. "But we do understand that this candidacy has stirred controversy. We are sure that the congress participants will have clear thoughts on this and do the right thing," he added. Muhammadiyah's current chairman Din Syamsuddin said Muchdi was a worthy candidate and the public should not dwell on the past. "There is no problem [with his candidacy]," Din said as quoted by news portal detik.com. Coordinator of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence, Usman Hamid, said Muchdi was not in the clear yet in the murder case because the Attorney General's Office was planning to file a case review of the Supreme Court's ruling. "If the AGO can bring new evidence to support their charges, the court could bring Muchdi back to trial," he said. He said he was suspicious that Muchdi would use Muhammadiyah, the largest Muslim organization in the country after Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), as a tool to evade justice in the future. "We know that he asked Muhammadiyah to bail him out when he requested a suspension of detention with the police." Muchdi is also an advisor for the Greater Indonesia Movement party, but analysts doubt his move to claim a seat on the Muhammadiyah council is politically motivated. Muchdi has vowed to quit Gerindra should he be elected. If elected, he would follow in the steps of one of his former colleagues at the State Intelligence Agency, As'ad Said Ali, who has been appointed deputy chairman of Nahdlatul Ulama. His appointment drew controversy among NU members. Kasum said the presence of Muchdi in Muhammadiyah's leadership would only undermine its reputation as a moderate Islamic group that advocated peace and human rights. "We are sure Muhammadiyah has other members of greater integrity to run its missions in the country," he said.
