Minangkabau community visits Sjahril<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Under the banner of Minangkabau brotherhood,
\nseveral figures of West Sumatran origins offered bail for their
\ndetained "kindred brother" Bank Indonesia Governor Sjahril
\nSabirin.<\/p>\n
Describing themselves as members of a so called Minangkabau
\ncultural movement in Greater Jakarta, Gebu Minang, they visited
\nSjahril at the Attorney General's Office on Wednesday to give him
\nmoral support.<\/p>\n
Among them were former minister of manpower Fahmi Idris who
\nsaid the brotherhood was also slated to meet with Attorney
\nGeneral Marzuki Darusman on Friday to ask that Sjahril be
\nreleased on bail.<\/p>\n
"One of our intentions in meeting Marzuki is to organize a
\nguarantee to all Minangkabau people residing in Greater Jakarta
\nfor an exchange to a city arrest or a house arrest (for
\nSjahril)," Fahmi told journalists.<\/p>\n
The head of the Jakarta chapter of the Indonesian Lawyers'
\nAssociation, John Pieter Nazar, who was also one of the visitors
\non Wednesday claimed that more than 100 people have signed a
\nletter to strengthen the request.<\/p>\n
Also seen were former National Police chief Lt. Gen (ret)
\nAwaloedin Djamin, former minister of health Farid Anfasa Moeloek
\nand former minister of public works Harun Zein.<\/p>\n
Fahmi further claimed that people of various ethnicities, not
\njust from West Sumatra, were concerned about Sjahril's detention.<\/p>\n
"As for myself, let's just say I am here to represent a sense
\nof justice which has been disturbed," he remarked.<\/p>\n
Sjahril was detained for allegedly paving the way for an
\nillegal transfer of Rp 904 billion of Bank Bali's defaulted loans
\nto a private company linked to the then ruling Golkar party in
\n1999.<\/p>\n
Part of the money is suspected to have been used to bankroll
\nthen president B.J. Habibie's renomination bid.<\/p>\n
Sjahril's first detention order of 20-days is to remain in
\neffect for another two-weeks.<\/p>\n
Earlier in the day the group met the House of Representatives'
\nspeaker Akbar Tandjung to obtain clarification on the legislative
\nbody's stance on the matter.<\/p>\n
Fahmi claimed that he had been told by Akbar that the
\nPresident had informed him during a meeting on Jl. Irian in May
\nthat this process had been contrived in order to remove Sjahril.<\/p>\n
"From Akbar's explanation, we can conclude that this matter
\nappears to have been designed by Gus Dur, who insists on forcing
\nSjahril to resign from his post," Fahmi claimed. (bby)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/minangkabau-community-visits-sjahril-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}