Indonesia's MPR Speaker to attend Khamenei funeral in Iran with clerics

Indonesia's Speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), Ahmad Muzani, is set to travel to Iran to attend the funeral procession of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Muzani announced that he will be accompanied by Foreign Minister Sugiono and several Islamic clerics (ulama) on the journey.

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Me, the Foreign Minister, and several ulamas. I just don't know their names yet.

The delegation is scheduled to depart from Jakarta on Thursday night, July 9, 2026, with an expected arrival in Iran on Friday morning, July 10, around 6:00 AM local time. Muzani stated that the entourage plans to complete their activities, including meetings with Iranian authorities, within a single night and will return directly to Jakarta. Upon arrival in Mashhad, their agenda includes visiting Khamenei's tomb and meeting with Iran's Foreign Minister and the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament.

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After that, we will return directly to Jakarta.

Muzani's assignment to represent Indonesia at the funeral has become a point of discussion. Herdiansyah Hamzah, a constitutional law lecturer at Mulawarman University, expressed concern over President Prabowo Subianto's role in instructing Muzani. Hamzah argued that this demonstrated a lack of understanding regarding the relationship between state institutions, suggesting that while Muzani is a member of Prabowo's Gerindra Party, the president should distinguish between party assignments and state administration duties.

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I was asked to depart to represent the Indonesian nation as an envoy of the president.

Responding to public questions, Muzani clarified that his role is as an official representative of Indonesia, acting on behalf of the president. He asserted that the head of state has the authority to designate who represents the country at international forums. Muzani also stated his understanding of the MPR's position relative to executive power, emphasizing that in this specific context, the president holds the prerogative to choose the national envoy.

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This is a wrong decision.