Noted psychic Permadi undergoes accused of 'blasphemy'
Noted psychic Permadi undergoes accused of 'blasphemy'
JAKARTA (JP): The Attorney General's Office yesterday
questioned noted mystic Permadi Satrio Wiwoho over allegations
that he had insulted Islam.
Permadi, facing a sudden Moslem backlash including accusations
of blasphemy, voluntarily turned himself in to the authorities on
Sunday in a move that helped calm the outrage witnessed over the
weekend.
"We're continuing our investigation of Permadi today," Gatot
Hendrarto, head of the Attorney General's intelligence
operations, said yesterday.
Gatot was speaking to a delegation from the Muhammadiyah Youth
Organization who came to his office demanding that Permadi be
prosecuted.
He told the delegation that the government had banned the sale
of cassettes containing a recording of controversial remarks made
by Permadi.
The delegation, led by the organization's chairman, M.
Hajrianto, and including deputies Nadjamuddin Ramly and Syamsir
Alam Lubis, presented a petition which called for a thorough
investigation of Permadi and demanding that he be brought to
account for his "blasphemous" remarks.
Permadi, already in hot water for tape-recorded comments
regarded as critical of the government, suddenly became the
target of Moslem outrage over the weekend after a scholar alleged
that the soothsayer had called the Prophet Muhammad a dictator
during a seminar in Yogyakarta in March last year.
Permadi has denied the accusations and said that his remarks
have been manipulated and taken out of context.
Former home minister Rudini and human rights lawyer Adnan
Buyung Nasution, both of whom attended the seminar at Gadjah Mada
University, came to Permadi's defense yesterday.
"There was not a single statement in the written paper
prepared by Permadi that disparaged Prophet Muhammad," Rudini
said in his office yesterday. He told reporters that he had kept
a copy of Permadi's speech.
But the retired Army general was unable to completely rule out
the alleged comment being made. "The statement might have been
made during the question-and-answer session," he said, adding
that he had left the seminar after the main speakers had read
their papers.
Rudini said he was ready to help with the investigation of
Permadi by the Attorney General's Office if he was needed.
Buyung, meanwhile, said Permadi had been misquoted.
He recalled Permadi's saying that power had been concentrated
in the hands of Prophet Muhammad during his lifetime. "It was
dictatorship, but it was a good dictatorship," he repeated
Permadi's statement.
Nasution said the last statement was deliberately omitted by
people who disliked Permadi.
The Armed Forces yesterday appealed to the public, especially
the Moslem community, for calm and restraint.
"This case will be resolved by legal means," Armed Forces
chief spokesman Maj. Gen. Syarwan Hamid said yesterday,
responding to reports of growing unrest and protests in
connection with the controversy.
Asked whether Permadi had apologized for his alleged slur
against Islam, Syarwan replied that, even if he had, he would
still have to face due legal process.
If the investigation found that a crime had been committed, he
would have to be prosecuted, Syarwan said. "Let's just wait for
the results of the investigation."
Meanwhile, the privately-owned television network TPI issued a
statement yesterday announcing that it was imposing a total black
ban on Permadi.
The network had been sharply criticized for airing Serambi, a
talk show on religious issues starring Permadi as a guest co-
host, on Thursday night; when the mystic had already become the
subject of government investigation.
TPI Operations General Manager Mrs. Syamsuddin Ch. Haesy said
the station would not air pre-recorded Serambi programs which
featured Permadi.
She stressed that the soothsayer did not host the show but had
merely appeared as a guest. The program is managed and hosted by
Anton Indracaya, she added.
The TPI statement condemned Permadi for insulting Islam.
(imn/emb)