Novy Lumanauw, Jakarta – The State Place has denied rumors that Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto once assaulted outgoing President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono during their time at the military academy.
"[Based on] what I know and what I heard directly from the president, it [the rumor] is not true," presidential spokesman Julian Aldrin Pasha said on Monday.
The story was first mentioned by Hermawan Sulistyo, a political analyst from the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), who served as a member of the fact finding team for the May 1998 riot.
In a 22-minute-long footage uploaded on Youtube on July 3, Hermawan is seen questioning SBY's decision to support Prabowo, instead of Indonesia Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) candidate Joko Widodo.
The description on the video says Hermawan was speaking at an event held by human rights group Imparsial on the same day. "The question is why does SBY not support Joko Widodo? Did you know that SBY was beaten by Prabowo when they were in the military academy?" he said.
According to Hermawan, the act of violence took place over suspicions that Yudhoyono had reported Prabowo and two other students to governor of the military academy Sarwo Edhie Wibowo after escaping the military school to attend an event in Jakarta. "The governor is the father of Ani Yudhoyono," Hermawan said, referring to SBY's wife.
"Why is it that no one has ever questioned why Prabowo only graduated [from the military academy] in 1974, when he was supposed to graduate in 1973? If he is indeed smart, how could he have been left behind by a year? Then there's clearly something else, which is the beating case," he said.
Last May, SBY, who is also chairman of the Democratic Party, announced that his party has decided not to throw their support for any of the presidential candidates and would remain neutral in the election.
On June 30, however, Gerindra chairman Syarif Hasan told a press conference that the Democratic Party had instructed all its members, supporters and associated organizations to support Prabowo and his running mate Hatta Rajasa. Senior officials from the Democratic Party were also present at the press conference.
Source: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/state-palace-denies-feud-prabowo-yudhoyono-military-academy/