GAN Central Board Pledges to Guard Prabowo's Government, Condemns Alleged Incitement
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Central Executive Board of Garuda Astacita Nusantara (GAN) is ready to safeguard the running of President Prabowo Subianto’s government and condemns all forms of alleged public incitement.
“We call upon all components of the nation to preserve a conducive atmosphere and not be provoked by irresponsible parties who wish to create friction and disrupt the running of President Prabowo’s government,” said GAN Chairman General Muh. Burhanuddin in a statement in Jakarta on Monday.
Burhanuddin was responding to a viral video of Projo Chairman General Budi Arie Setiadi on social media, in which he suggested that political momentum and elections could take place sooner than 2029.
He stressed that the legitimate government currently led by President Prabowo holds constitutional legitimacy based on Indonesia’s constitutional system.
According to GAN, Indonesia’s constitutional system already regulates mechanisms concerning the removal of a president as well as changes of government. Therefore, any notion of changing national power must remain within the corridor of the constitution and prevailing laws and regulations.
On that basis, the GAN Central Board plans to report Budi Arie to the National Police Criminal Investigation Department (Bareskrim Polri) for alleged incitement under Article 246 and alleged treason under Article 193 in conjunction with (jo) Article 96 of Law Number 1 of 2023 on the Criminal Code.
“In principle, we want democracy to continue running within the constitutional corridor. If there are statements suspected of pointing towards actions outside that mechanism, let law enforcement officials test and determine this objectively,” he said.
Burhanuddin also considered that Budi Arie’s statement warranted scrutiny to determine whether it contained elements of public incitement and had the potential to constitute treason.
“Whether the statement fulfils the elements of incitement or not is not for us to decide. That is the authority of law enforcement. We are only submitting a report and the evidence we hold so that an examination can be carried out,” he said.
Burhanuddin assured that GAN would submit the report to Bareskrim Polri and hand over materials deemed relevant to support it.
Those materials include documentation of statements made in open forums as well as content circulating on various digital platforms.
He added that the party did not intend to restrict freedom of expression or political criticism. However, according to Burhanuddin, that freedom must still be exercised within the legal corridor and must not develop into calls that could potentially disturb public order and the stability of the state.
He asked all parties to respect the legal process and give law enforcement officials the opportunity to conduct an objective examination.
“We invite the public to remain calm. Political differences of opinion must not turn into conflict within society. If there are suspected legal violations, let us resolve them through legal mechanisms,” he said.