During his three-day visit to the United Kingdom, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is set to be bestowed with a prestigious honor by Queen Elizabeth II, in spite of a plan by activists for Papua to make a “citizens arrest” against him.
The title, given by the Queen, may make the activists think twice about arresting Yudhoyono. The Queen is expected to bestow the Honorary Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath, an award that has been given to former US president Ronald Reagan, former French president Jacques Chirac and Turkish President Abdullah Gul.
The award is the highest rank of one of the oldest orders of British chivalry.
Presidential spokesperson for foreign affairs Teuku Faizasyah said on Monday that receiving the award from the Queen would only be one of Yudhoyono’s activities in London.
“There will be no special ceremony for the bestowing of the award. The Queen will only show it to the President in a display room after lunch on Oct. 31,” he told reporters.
Yudhoyono was included in the Queen’s guest list in the celebration of Her Majesty’s Diamond Jubilee. The invitation by Queen Elizabeth II to Yudhoyono was given personally by Prime Minister David Cameron when he visited Indonesia in April.
Queen Elizabeth II only invited two heads of state, Yudhoyono and The Emir of the State of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.
During his stay in London, Yudhoyono and his entourage are expected to stay at Buckingham Palace, the official residence of the Queen and her family.
In London, Yudhoyono will have another bilateral meeting with Cameron. He is also scheduled to speak with the country’s top figures including Prince Charles the Prince of Wales, British Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg and opposition leader Ed Miliband.
Yudhoyono will also lead the second meeting of the high-level panel on Post-Millenium Development Goals (MDG). Yudhoyono, Cameron and Liberian President Ellen Sirleaf Johnson are co-chairs of the panel.
The panel’s meeting in London follows the first, which was held on the sidelines of the UN’s 67th General Assembly session in New York, last month.
Yudhoyono is reported to be uneasy with the citizen arrest plans by pro-Papua independence activists. Presidential spokesperson Julian Aldrin Pasha said that Yudhoyono would not file a complaint with the UK government and that it would not affect the trip to London.
The Free West Papua campaign, which is believed to be based in Great Britain, has offered a reward of £50,000 (US$81,325) to “the first person[s] to perform a citizens arrest” on Yudhoyono during his state visit to the UK.
The activists have said Yudhoyono must be held accountable for allegedly “ordering ongoing genocide in West Papua”.
The website said that anybody could claim the reward if they could “calmly and in a gentle fashion lay a hand on Yudhoyono’s shoulder or elbow, in such a way that he cannot have any cause to complain of being hurt or trapped by you, and announce loudly, ‘Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, this is a citizen’s arrest for genocide and crimes against humanity in West Papua. I am inviting you to accompany me to a police station to answer the charge’.”
The attempt has also to be “reported in at least one mainstream media outlet” because the action would only be “largely symbolic but will have great political resonance”, the website says.
The last State Visit by the Queen and Prince Phillip, the Duke of Edinburgh, to Indonesia was in 1974 when the British delegation were welcomed by the late president Soeharto.
Yudhoyono, First Lady Ani Yudhoyono and their entourage will depart from the Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force base in East Jakarta for London on Tuesday.
Recent comments
FreeJohanTeterissa / Fri, 02/11/2012 - 07:11am
The presidents car just got hit by eggs when he left the state banket in London.
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N. K. Santosa / Wed, 31/10/2012 - 22:10pm
That is just so wrong.
Whoever recommended SBY's knighthood really should come to Indonesia and see the reality.
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Rio Rivai / Wed, 31/10/2012 - 18:10pm
For me, this is just ceremonial honor from the leader of a foreign country. There's no reason to refuse it. To refuse it using religious issue as Ms Koestomo suggested would be unwise and trigger controversy. Receiving any kind of symbolic item does not make you a follower. One's faith lies in heart and mind.
However as Indonesian citizen, I expect Yudhoyono's real works to show solid results for the good of this nation. For the well being of its EVERY citizens. No symbolic honors from anywhere in the world would impress me than the real works.
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Jorith Arbier / Wed, 31/10/2012 - 14:10pm
The article contains a clear ignorance of the real purpose why SBY is receiving the medal of knighthood instead of being well informed and therefore showing proper interest in the value of such medals.
Q U O T E
It is said to be a recognition [of some sort], but I don’t know exactly what [it’ll be given to Yudhyono] for and will not make any guesses,” Indonesian presidential spokesman Teuku Faizasyah said on Monday.
U N Q U O T E
Considering what is mentioned by the presidential spokesman, the first thing which comes to mind is “casting pearls before swine”.
Anyhow he will now be among the ranks of Paul McCartney, David Bowie, Elton John and similar, which will fit in his singing repertoire.
Continuing the quote:
Q U O T E
The Knight Grand Cross is the highest of three classes within the Order of the Bath, which is awarded to military members or civilians who have made outstanding achievements.
U N Q U O T E
Please mention one (1) ?
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Filippo / Wed, 31/10/2012 - 12:10pm
Vladimir Putin, the butcher of Chechnya, was awarded a similar distinction (the French Grand Croix de la Legion d'Honneur) by French president Jacques Chirac. Welcome to the club, SBY.
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Sheldon Archer / Wed, 31/10/2012 - 11:10am
Actually here are some others who have been knighted so maybe he's in good company: Dictators Benito Mussolin, Robert Mugabe and Nicolae Ceausescu, Spy Anthony Blunt and serial sex offender Jimmy Savile.
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m318939 / Wed, 31/10/2012 - 10:10am
te amor,, Penghargaan ini merupakan pangkat tertinggi dari salah satu perintah tertua ksatria Inggris
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Antonius Petrus Hubertus Mulders / Wed, 31/10/2012 - 01:10am
Several countries are praising Indonesia without knowing what is going on in this country.
Discrimination against minorities, corruption, oppressing, violation of humsn rights etc. etc. they simple ignore it.
It is high time that the world becomes to know what is going on here.
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Antonius Petrus Hubertus Mulders / Wed, 31/10/2012 - 01:10am
Several countries are praising Indonesia without knowing what is going on in this country.
Discrimination against minorities, corruption, oppressing, violation of humsn rights etc. etc. they simple ignore it.
It is high time that the world becomes to know what is going on here.
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Nanda / Tue, 30/10/2012 - 20:10pm
Despite lack of firmness towards corruption and radicalism, SBY has done so much in terms of economic reforms and managed to attract more FDI than even before the asian financial crisis. Regarding human rights and democratization, that takes time. After decades of dictatorship, Indonesia is doing well better than what most analysts have predicted : implosion of the society, balakanisation... That is not what happened.
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westpapuamedia / Tue, 30/10/2012 - 17:10pm
This is an entirely appropriate knighthood: For Services to the UK Arms Industry, Rothschild Banking cabals, and UK mining industry. He is their main representative. He has used more UK weapons and munitions against Papuan civilians than any other dictator apart from Suharto, and in the process has great and personally enriched The Queen, who herself is one of the world's largest arms dealers (BAE Systems, Hawker deHavilland, etc). Just a pair of gun runners clinking each others glasses. Peas in a pod.
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Wishnu Prasetya / Tue, 30/10/2012 - 16:10pm
Hahaha ... the President of Indonesia will soon be a knight of the Queen of United Kingdom! 3x bow to the Queen. Very wicked :D
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Brien / Tue, 30/10/2012 - 13:10pm
And yes it is a Christian award.
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Brien / Tue, 30/10/2012 - 13:10pm
"...honorary foreign members and clergymen do not receive the accolade of knighthood, and so are not entitled to the prefix "Sir"."
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Tami Koestomo / Tue, 30/10/2012 - 11:10am
According to www/heraldicsculptor.com, regarding The History of The Most Honourable Order of the Bath: the second highest order of chivalry in England, the Title of the Order is late medieval in origin, it arose from the ritual washing (inspired by the ritual of baptism), a symbol of spiritual purification, followed by a night of prayer and meditation before the Knights of the Bath attended the mass and then received the accolade. Medieval knights frequently carried out a vigil of fasting, prayer and purification in the Chapel Royal of St John the Evangelist in the Tower of London.
If SBY accepts the Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath that is planned to be so generously bestowed upon him, then he will also wear what is known as the Maltese Cross, which, as far as I know, is a symbol of an order of Christian warriors. This will, in fact, make SBY an Honorary Christian.
No doubt a great many of us Indonesians (and foreigners as well!) are looking forward with eager anticipation to how the FPI and the MUI will react to this.
If SBY really wants to be seen as a man and a True Muslim in accordance with what the FPI and the MUI and their associates expect of him, he should gracefully but very firmly ( and in perfect English, of course!) refuse to accept this particular honor, even though it is going to be bestowed by Queen Elisabeth II herself.
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Joe / Tue, 30/10/2012 - 10:10am
Thats unbelievable ,did he shag the queen or something? or has he done an unscrupulous back hand deal with the UK...a knight hood for what ? he leads a nation that is so corrupt at the the expense of the normal poor population...does the queen know how bad it is in Indonesia ? obviously not
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Sheldon Archer / Tue, 30/10/2012 - 09:10am
Next month she will bestow it on all the corrupt ministers and the FPI
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