Amien Rais betrays ‘reformasi’, says analyst

JAKARTA. Indonesian Civil Society Circle political analyst Ray Rangkuti says senior National Mandate Party (PAN) politician Amien Rais, a prominent figure in the country’s reformasi (reform) era, can no longer be seen as such.

Ray said Amien’s statement that he was grateful that the direct election of local leaders had been scrapped, contradicted the very spirit of reformasi.

“It really breaks my heart to hear someone who used to be so prominent in the reformasi movement and who was once a supporter of a federalist system for this country, say things like that,” Ray said as quoted by tribunnews.com.

Amien said he was grateful for the decision from lawmakers of the ruling Democratic Party to walk out of a crucial vote concerning the abolition of direct elections for local leaders in the country.

The PAN politician earlier also caused a stir by supporting the presidential bid of Prabowo Subianto of the Gerindra Party.