Akbar told to delay plan for haj trip to Mecca

A'an Suryana, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

House of Representatives Speaker Akbar Tandjung's insistence on performing a haj pilgrimage despite his status as a suspect in a high-profile corruption scandal is feared to hamper the country's law enforcement drive.

A noted Muslim scholar said that Akbar had to delay his plan to perform the pilgrimage to Mecca, saying that "by doing so, he would sacrifice the nation's interests for the sake of his own benefit".

"As a leader, he must take account of the collective interests above all else, including his own interests, namely the haj pilgrimage," Masdar Farid Mas'udi, the chairman of the Nadhlatul Ulama's Association for Muslim Boarding Schools and Community Development, told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

Akbar's insistence would only create a bad precedent for the law enforcement drive in the country, he said.

Akbar was named a suspect two weeks ago in the high-profile Rp 40 billion Bulog scam. Regardless of his status, however, he insisted on going on the pilgrimage, which he claimed had been planned "long before he was implicated in the case".

By going to Mecca Akbar is suspected of using the religious card to manipulate investigations.

A wave of support, including from Aceh, has backed Akbar's move. Golkar's Aceh chapter has claimed to have sent 40,000 Golkar supporters to support Akbar's bid to carry out the pilgrimage.

Akbar has hailed the move, saying that "that is an expression of their solidarity".

Masdar said Akbar's move would only help people look for loopholes in the legal system in the future.

People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) chairman Amien Rais, shared Masdar's view saying that "Akbar should delay his plan, since that will only impede the investigation process by the Attorney General's Office (AGO)".

The government usually slaps travel bans on those implicated in major legal cases. This is apparently not the case for Akbar.

Meanwhile, Mustofa Bisri, another Muslim scholar, conceded that the first haj pilgrimage was compulsory.

"However, this is imposed for only decent people. The next series of pilgrimages will be sunnah, namely people do not have an obligation to do that, but if they do, they would get additional blessings from God," Mustofa said.

It was revealed recently that Akbar had carried out several haj pilgrimages, therefore the next pilgrimage would not be compulsory.

Mustofa said that the people should avoid suspicions that Akbar was avoiding legal prosecution.

"Religious tenet has ruled that we should always have positive thinking about others," he said.

He added that there must be clear separation between the legal sphere and his individual need to complete the pilgrimage.

"Let Akbar's case be prosecuted in the legal sphere, while let God punish him if he uses the religious card to protect himself from legal prosecution," he said.

Meanwhile, rights activist Hendardi criticized the AGO saying it was not serious in pursuing Akbar's case.

Hendardi said when the AGO declared Akbar a suspect they should have banned him from traveling abroad.

"This move is needed to distinguish Akbar, a criminal suspect, with other free men, who are not facing prosecution," he was quoted by Antara as saying.