48 Facts About Muchdi Purwopranjono

Muchdi Purwopranjono was relieved of command duties in 1998 after the fall of Soeharto and was deemed responsible for abductions of pro-democracy activists.

Muchdi Purwopranjono is presently the leader of a breakaway faction of Tommy Soeharto's Berkarya Party and his leadership is recognized by the government.

Muchdi Purwopranjono has said his father was a leader of Masyumi, an Islamic party, and his mother's family belonged to the Nahdlatul Ulama Muslim mass organization.

Muchdi Purwopranjono has expressed pride in having been a member of "Generation 66", the generation that helped to bring down founding president Sukarno and replace him with Suharto.

Muchdi Purwopranjono said he was involved in the Indonesian Student Youth Action Front in Yogyakarta and often took part in demonstrations.

Muchdi Purwopranjono became close to fellow soldier Prabowo Subianto, as both were tough fighters and Muslims.

Muchdi Purwopranjono has said that in 1986, while he was training at the Army Staff and Command College in Bandung, he was summoned by the Intelligence Task Force of the Operational Command for the Restoration of Security and Order in Jakarta and detained for three days on accusations of having been a member of the Pemuda Rakyat division of the Indonesian Communist Party prior to his entry to AKABRI.

Muchdi Purwopranjono countered that his parents and family had actually been targets of the PKI in Yogyakarta 1965.

Muchdi Purwopranjono served in territorial command posts in Irian Jaya from the late 1980s to mid-1990s, Jambi, East Java and Kalimantan.

Muchdi Purwopranjono spent fewer than 60 days as Kopassus chief amid the financial crisis, riots and pro-democracy movement that led to Suharto's resignation.

Later that night, Muchdi Purwopranjono reported to a gathering of Muslim leaders the meeting with Habibie had gone well.

However, Habibie instead favored General Wiranto, who recommended Muchdi Purwopranjono be sacked as Kopassus chief.

Prabowo wanted more time before he and Muchdi Purwopranjono would be transferred to non-combat positions, to create the perception that it was a normal military rotation, but Wiranto insisted on the changes being made immediately.

Muchdi Purwopranjono was shifted to the non-combat role of deputy inspector general of TNI.

On 1 March 2001, Muchdi Purwopranjono was among 55 generals present at an Army headquarters meeting that agreed the Army should never try to seize power.

The Officers Honor Council ruled Prabowo and Muchdi Purwopranjono had misinterpreted Suharto's order.

Chief of the Officers Honor Council, General Subagyo Hadisiswoyo, said Prabowo and Muchdi Purwopranjono either gave instructions for the abductions or were aware of their issuance.

Muchdi Purwopranjono said Muchdi, as Kopassus chief, must have fully understood his authority and duties.

In 2008, when Muchdi Purwopranjono was tried for orchestrating the murder of human rights activist Munir, his lawyer argued he had no connection to the abductions because he was in Kalimantan when they took place.

Police questioned Muchdi Purwopranjono, who said he had met with Suripto only to discuss logging concessions.

Muchdi Purwopranjono said Muchdi owns a timber company in West Kalimantan, so they had met several times at Suripto's office to discuss the timber business.

In June 2000, detikcom online news portal speculated Muchdi had been nominated to replace Air Vice Marshal Ian Santoso as director of the Strategic Intelligence Agency, while there was a claim Prabowo had advised then-President Abdurrahman Wahid to appoint Muchdi as head of the State Intelligence Coordinating Agency, which was headed by Lieutenant General Arie J Kumaat.

In December 2001, Muchdi Purwopranjono was appointed Deputy V of BIN.

In earlier trials, Garuda chief executive Indra Setiawan testified he had met with Muchdi Purwopranjono and received a verbal and written request from BIN to assign Pollycarpus to a flight that Munir made from Jakarta to Singapore.

Budi Santoso, a former BIN director, told police in October 2007 and May 2008 that Pollycarpus and BIN agent Kawan had told him Muchdi Purwopranjono ordered them to kill Munir.

When Muchdi Purwopranjono went on trial, Budi failed to appear as a witness.

Muchdi Purwopranjono's lawyers responded that Muchdi Purwopranjono had lost his position because of the fall of Suharto and not because of Munir's actions.

Soldiers, intelligence officials and thugs were present during Muchdi Purwopranjono's trial, prompting complaints it was an effort to intimidate judges, prosecutors and witnesses.

Tensions were evident at the trial when Munir's widow Suciwati urged Muchdi Purwopranjono to tell the truth.

Indonesia's National Commission on Human Rights said the investigation, prosecution and trial of Muchdi Purwopranjono were flawed, and recommended a new police investigation.

Muchdi Purwopranjono claimed their long-term goal is to weaken Indonesia's justice, political, economic and religious institutions.

Muchdi Purwopranjono said Dutch agencies that investigated the murder of Munir cannot be trusted because the Dutch previously colonized Indonesia and committed human rights violations.

Muchdi Purwopranjono said the only state institution in Indonesia that had not been infiltrated by foreign interests was the judiciary.

Muchdi Purwopranjono celebrated his acquittal by treating 40 orphans to a thanksgiving dinner at his house in Kebayoran Baru neighborhood.

In 2016, Muchdi Purwopranjono said Indonesian human rights campaigners still calling for Munir's case to be resolved were merely exploiting the case in order to gain funds from the Netherlands.

In 2008, Muchdi Purwopranjono joined Prabowo's newly formed Gerindra Party and served as deputy chairman.

In June 2010, Muchdi Purwopranjono attempted to become Central Executive of Indonesia's second-largest Muslim organization, Muhammadiyah, even though he did not meet the requirement of being a member for at least six years.

In January 2012, it was reported Muchdi Purwopranjono had joined the National Republic Party of former president Suharto's youngest son, Hutomo Mandala Putra, better known as Tommy Suharto.

Muchdi Purwopranjono served as a member of the party's advisory council and officials hoped he would strengthen the party's political machinery.

In 2016, when Nasrep merged with another small party, Beringin Karya Party, to form Berkarya Party as a political vehicle for Tommy Suharto, Muchdi Purwopranjono was appointed chairman of the party's Honorary Board.

Muchdi Purwopranjono said the accusations would actually strengthen Berkarya because of his innocence.

Muchdi Purwopranjono claimed to be unaware Munir's murderer Pollycarpus Priyanto had joined the party.

Muchdi Purwopranjono said Jokowi, in his first term in office, had achieved more than any other president in Indonesia's reform period, improving roads, ports, airports and industry.

Muchdi Purwopranjono is commissioner of Suryatama Cemerlang Abadi, a company that produces bottled water branded as Suli 5.

Muchdi Purwopranjono has at least nine factories in Indonesia and is majority-owned by Muhammadiyah.

In December 2016, Muchdi Purwopranjono was present for the inauguration of two associations that planned to resume sand mining and exports from Riau Islands province.

Muchdi Purwopranjono is married to Puji Astuti and they have three children: Dewi Kirana Juvirawati, Raditya Muhas Juvirawan and Dias Baskara Dewantara.

Muchdi Purwopranjono said he hoped the wedding would bring Andra closer to God and result in her wearing a Muslim headscarf.