Fatwa's name restored, salary reimbursed

Fatwa's name restored, salary reimbursed

JAKARTA (JP): Governor Sutiyoso on Thursday officially
restored the good name of Muslim scholar Andi Mappetahang Fatwa,
who lost his position in the city administration in 1979 for his
opposition to the ruling New Order regime.

"I'm very happy and grateful to receive this document which
restores my dignity.

"I'm also happy to be reconsidered a part of the city
administration," Fatwa said following a closed-door meeting with
the governor at City Hall.

The city administration also compensated Fatwa for lost
salary and bonuses from the time he was fired in 1979 until he
was imprisoned in 1984.

Fatwa, 60, began serving an 18-year prison term in 1984 for
his political activities and his involvement in the 1983 Tanjung
Priok unrest. At least nine people were killed in the unrest and
another 50 injured. Fatwa was granted parole in 1993.

The substance of the meeting between Sutiyoso and Fatwa on
Thursday is unclear, but several officials said the governor
officially apologized to Fatwa on behalf of the city
administration.

Fatwa's last position in the administration was head of the
People's Supervision Subdirectorate in the Directorate for Social
and Political Affairs. Before joining the city administration,
Fatwa was a Muslim preacher with the Navy.

"It was Bang Ali (former Jakarta governor Ali Sadikin) who
asked me to join the city administration. It was also Bang Ali
who testified for me in the court case for the Tanjung Priok
unrest," Fatwa said.

Deputy Governor for Administrative Affairs Abdul Kahfi said
Fatwa would receive Rp 12.2 million (US$1,742) in unpaid salary
for the period of October 1979 to September 1984.

"Fatwa will also receive his monthly pension at the current
rate, calculated according to his last position and rank," Kahfi
said.

Fatwa said the amount of monetary compensation he received was
not the important thing. "The money isn't that much. What's more
important is that my dignity has been restored and I'm again
accepted as part of the city administration's family."

Fatwa also urged the government to restore the names of other
former political prisoners.

"People such as Ganjar Subrata, a former official at the City
Development Control Agency, and Imaduddin Abdurrachim, a former
lecturer at the Bandung Institute of Technology, should also have
their names restored," he said.

"I am among the first political prisoners to be released and
have my name restored by the government. I hope this initial
momentum will lead to similar attention being paid to other
political prisoners, especially those neglected ones," he said.

Fatwa's name was restored by then president B.J. Habibie in a
presidential decree dated Aug. 15, 1999, in commemoration of
Independence Day.

Fatwa is currently a deputy speaker of the House of
Representatives from the National Mandate Party faction. (05)