Indonesia VP lobbied to have alcohol law revoked, says spokesman
Published on: Thursday, March 04, 2021
By: Tempo Indonesia
Indonesian Vice President Ma’ruf Amin (centre).
JAKARTA: Spokesperson of Vice President Ma’ruf Amin, Masduki Baidlowi, on Wednesday claims that the lobbying efforts from elderly Ulema could be attributed to the revoked presidential regulation on alcohol investment, which includes the VP’s efforts to revoke the law.According to Baidlowi’s voice note sent to a journalist WhatsApp group, Ma’ruf Amin “made many efforts so the President would revoke the law. Ma’ruf purposely kept quiet about this because there is no use in talking to the press amidst current conditions.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Surprisingly, Masduki Baidlowi claims that the VP was made unaware about the issuance of the alcohol investment law and was surprised by its existence after it had received multiple criticism.
He claims Ma’ruf Amin also received pressure from two of Indonesia’s largest Islamic organisations, NU and MUI, as he was a former leader in both of the organisations.
“So Ma’ruf was truly in the middle of it. That was why he took steps internally,” said Masduki.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
Daily Express Malaysia
ADVERTISEMENT
“Before the President announced it, there was a discussion between the President and Vice President Ma’ruf Amin,” said Masduki.
