Ginandjar on freedom tour

BANDUNG, West Java: After being released from the Attorney General's Office detention center, former minister Ginandjar Kartasasmita toured several towns in West Java province to meet local community figures and clarify the recent events surrounding his arrest.

Ginandjar represents the West Java province as a member of the People's Consultative Assembly.

The tour kicked off on Friday, two days after he was released, a member of his entourage, Yanto, said here.

Ginandjar first visited Bandung and performed Friday prayers at the Agung mosque in the Ujung Berung area, before moving on to Ciamis where he met around 400 students at Darussalam Muslim boarding school.

Ginandjar also visited his father's grave at Cimaragas Banjar, met several local Muslim figures, and then attended another meeting in Sumedang.

He dismissed speculation that he was gathering support, contending that the tour was a personal affair.

"Why should I try to get support? What for? I have been through the whole legal process alone without support from anybody," he said after meeting with West Java provincial council speaker Eka Santosa.(25)