Akbar told to delay plan for haj trip to Mecca
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.