He issued the statement in connection with the party cadre HM Prasetyos appointment as the new attorney general on Thursday (November 20).
"I hope the people will not be trapped in a political and non-political party dichotomy in judging the capacity of state officials," he informed several newsmen at the Metro TV headquarters in Kedoya, West Jakarta.
He emphasized that any citizen fit to fill an empty strategic post deserves support.
He noted that the people must give an opportunity to any political party cadre, who is considered to have integrity and capacity, to prove himself/herself.
Surya Paloh confirmed that Prasetyo no longer held any position in the party and has even been dismissed from the party.
He admitted that Prasetyos dismissal was carried out only hours before he was sworn in as the new attorney general. This is because he only came to know about his appointment on Wednesday night, he revealed.
On a separate occasion, Victim and Witness Protection Institute (LPSK) hailed HM Prasetyos appointment.
HM Prasetyo is a former junior attorney general for general crimes.
"We congratulate him on his appointment," LPSK Chairman Abdul Haris Semendawai stated.
He said Prasetyo could enhance cooperation between the Attorney Generals Office (AGO) and the LPSK that has, so far, been developed especially for witness protection.
"We still see a lot of things that need to be dealt with in the cooperation between the LPSK and AGO such as witness protection and reward to the justice collaborator," he stated.
He emphasized that despite a memorandum of understanding (MoU) being inked, cooperation still needs to be further intensified, especially in facilitating the victims of crimes, particularly with regard to restitution or compensation.
"Victims need to be given restitution or compensation. The MoU for it is already in place. It, however, still needs to be further improved," he added.
(Reporting by Syaiful Hakim/Uu.H-YH/INE/KR-BSR/O001)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
Copyright © ANTARA 2014
