1. Wiranto was born on 4 April 1947 and is an Indonesian politician and retired army general, who is serving as the chairman of the Presidential Advisory Council, since December 2019.
52 Facts About Wiranto
1. 2.
On 27 July 2016, Wiranto was appointed Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs, replacing Luhut Binsar Panjaitan.
3.
Wiranto played a significant role in facilitating severe human rights violations by the Indonesian army and Jakarta-backed militias, during Indonesia's withdrawal from the occupied territory of East Timor in 1999.
4.
In May 2004, the United Nations-backed Special Panels of the Dili District Court indicted Wiranto and charged him with war crimes.
5.
Wiranto claimed the move was an effort to discredit his political ambitions.
6.
Some claim that Wiranto played a key role as a moderating influence during the turbulent times of 1998 when Suharto resigned.
7.
Wiranto had the power to impose military rule, but refused to do so, thereby allowing the civilian process to develop.
8.
Taufik Darusman labeled him a "military reformist" because Wiranto reduced the military's role in Indonesian politics.
9.
Wiranto initiated the reduction of their seats in parliament and separated the police from the military.
10.
The security forces of Indonesia perpetrated the Biak massacre in July 1998, when Wiranto was the Minister of Defense of Indonesia.
11.
When he was a child, Wiranto dreamed of a military career, but as he grew up, he developed the desire to become an architect.
12.
However, training to become an architect was not feasible financially, so Wiranto decided to join the Indonesian Military Academy in Magelang in Central Java, now known as Akademi Militer or Akmil.
13.
Wiranto graduated from the Indonesian Military Academy in 1968 and spent the early part of his military career in North Sulawesi, far from the centers of power in Indonesia.
14.
In 1993, Wiranto became Chief of Staff in the Jakarta regional military command and became commander of KODAM Jaya in 1994.
15.
In Suharto's new Cabinet, Wiranto was named as the Minister of Defense and Security.
16.
On 18 April 1998, together with 17 ministers, Wiranto held a meeting with prominent members of society and student organizations.
17.
Wiranto took a cautious stance towards the social unrest that was brewing around Indonesia at the time and warned against it descending into anarchy.
18.
Wiranto sensed that the condition was about to spiral out of control and ordered reinforcements in the form of Marines and Kostrad personnel.
19.
Wiranto was to be made Commander of the National Alertness and Safety Operation Command.
20.
Wiranto took the opportunity to state that ABRI would be ensuring the personal safety of the now former President Suharto and his family.
21.
Wiranto was retained as both the Commander of ABRI and Minister of Defense and Security in Habibie's Cabinet.
22.
The Special Session of the MPR was held in November 1998 and Wiranto cracked down on protesters who were against the Special Session, killing 8 and injuring 226.
23.
Wiranto supervised security during the 1999 Legislative Elections during which TNI and POLRI adopted a neutral role rather than support Golkar as had been the case during Suharto's regime.
24.
Much like the 1999 legislative election, Wiranto was in charge of security at the 1999 MPR General Session.
25.
Habibie, who had been nominated for re-election by Golkar chose Wiranto to become his vice president.
26.
Nevertheless, Wiranto continued on as vice presidential candidate, this time with Akbar Tandjung as Golkar's presidential candidate.
27.
Wiranto finally withdrew from the vice presidential race when it became evident that Megawati needed to become vice president to appease her supporters who were angered by Megawati losing out on the Presidency.
28.
Wiranto was only in his position for three months when in January 2000, Wahid called for Wiranto to step down from his position on an overseas trip to Europe.
29.
Wiranto waited until Wahid returned before meeting with the President to argue his case.
30.
Wiranto seemed to have succeeded when Wahid decided to continue to keep him on but changed his mind during the same day and Wiranto was removed from the Cabinet.
31.
Anti-Megawati protests were then held and it was suspected that Wiranto might have been involved in masterminding the demonstrations.
32.
On 24 February 2003, the Special Panels of the Dili District Court indicted Wiranto and charged him with crimes against humanity.
33.
Wiranto was not happy because according to him, Yudhoyono would not do anything to block Wiranto from becoming Chairman.
34.
Wiranto then chose to align himself with his former opponent Akbar.
35.
The next month in September 2005, Wiranto joined the Nationhood Union, a mass organization which was created by former Golkar member Marwah Daud Ibrahim.
36.
At the organization's National Leadership Meeting in May 2006, Wiranto said that the organization was a way to test the waters en route to forming a new political party.
37.
Finally on 22 December 2006, Wiranto declared the formation of the People's Conscience Party and was elected as its first Chairman.
38.
Wiranto ran unsuccessfully for the vice-presidency as Jusuf Kalla's running mate in the 2009 Indonesian presidential election.
39.
When Jokowi reshuffled his cabinet on 27 July 2016, Wiranto was appointed Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs.
40.
In December 2016, Wiranto said Hanura would support Jokowi for re-election in 2019.
41.
In 2018, Wiranto urged the Corruption Eradication Commission to postpone naming regional election candidates suspected of involvement in corruption cases.
42.
On 10 October 2019, Wiranto was stabbed twice by a man allegedly affiliated with the Islamic State-linked militant group Jamaah Ansharut Daulah.
43.
Wiranto survived and was flown by helicopter to the Gatot Soebroto Army Hospital in Jakarta, where he underwent surgery.
44.
Harits Abu Ulya, a spokesman for a group called the Community of Ideological Islamic Analyst, claimed Wiranto himself was partly to blame for the attack because the minister's statements had hurt people's feelings.
45.
Wiranto has been married to Rugaiya Usman since 1975.
46.
Wiranto is active in her role as, among others, Head of Indonesian Red Cross of Jakarta Chapter.
47.
On October 10,2019, Wiranto was stabbed with a sharp weapon by a man in Menes Square, Pandeglang, Banten.
48.
The head of the Public Information Bureau of the National Police Headquarters Brigadier General Dedi Prasetyo said the two perpetrators of the attack on Wiranto were suspected of being exposed to Islamic State radicalism and after the incident, he had to be rushed to the nearest hospital for first aid and referred to Gatot Soebroto Army Hospital, Jakarta.
49.
Wiranto has been accused of being involved in war crimes in East Timor in 1999.
50.
Together with five other military officers suspected of being involved, Wiranto has been accused by the International Court of Justice of having a role in the 1999 East Timorese crisis that occurred around the time of the East Timorese sovereignty referendum.
51.
Nicholas Koumjian, a United Nations prosecutor from the Special Serious Criminal Court in Dili said Wiranto should be held responsible for the 1999 violence.
52.
Wiranto said that Wiranto had failed to carry out his responsibilities as the leader of the military and police forces in East Timor to prevent crimes against humanity and failed to punish the perpetrators of these crimes.