JAKARTA: Maj. Gen. (ret) Muchdi Purwopranjono, a former top officer in
the National Intelligence Agency, also a former commander of military
special forces Kopassus, was controversially elected on Wednesday as
the head of the Papua chapter of the United Development Party (PPP).
Muchdi, who in 2009 was acquitted by the Supreme Court of murder
charges in the death of late human rights activist Munir Said Thalib,
will serve in his new position until 2016.
Reba Dwiseno Pontoh, the head of the advisory assembly of PPP Papua,
said Muchdi won the election with support from 13 out of 22 of the
party's branches at city and regency levels.
PPP deputy secretary general M. Romahurmuziy said the party's central
executive board did not recognize Muchdi's leadership in Papua. "It
was a twist of facts. There were not more than five eligible voters
left in the room when the congress was 'illegally' converted into a
head election," he said as quoted by tempointeraktif.com.