Indonesian assembly vice-chair questions president's order to MPR head for Iran trip

Bambang Wuryanto, the Vice Chairman of Indonesia's People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), has raised questions about the protocol surrounding MPR Chairman Ahmad Muzani's attendance at the funeral of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Wuryanto asserted that the Indonesian state's institutional framework does not permit the president to issue direct orders to the MPR Chairman.

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But if the President sends the MPR Chairman, the mechanism is not like that.

"But if the President sends the MPR Chairman, the mechanism is not like that," Wuryanto, a politician from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), stated on Tuesday at the DPR/MPR complex in Jakarta. He emphasized that the relationship between the president and the MPR is one between heads of state institutions that operate as equals and cannot command each other.

Wuryanto explained that a president can seek the MPR's opinion through consultative meetings but cannot issue direct commands. While Wuryanto acknowledged he lacked specific information on how Muzani was selected for the delegation, he suggested Muzani's status as a Gerindra Party cadre might have been a factor, differentiating it from his role as MPR Chairman.

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I only state that the procedure in our state governance, meetings of leaders of fellow high state institutions are consultative. There is no procedure for ordering.

MPR Chairman Ahmad Muzani had previously announced on his Instagram account that he, along with Foreign Minister Sugiono, was "sent by President Prabowo Subianto" to attend Khamenei's funeral procession. Muzani stated their departure was being coordinated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with plans to travel to Mashhad, Iran, on July 9, 2025. He claimed their presence would symbolize Indonesia's concern and serve as an official representation of the government and people of Indonesia in mourning.

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I as Chairman of the MPR RI together with Minister of Foreign Affairs Sugiono were sent by President Prabowo Subianto to attend the funeral procession of the late Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Khamenei.

Despite not labeling Muzani's appointment as a violation, Wuryanto reiterated that the procedures for inter-institutional leadership meetings are consultative, not directive. The discrepancy highlights a potential tension in how presidential directives are communicated and executed within Indonesia's high state institutions.

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Our presence is a representation of the Indonesian government and all the people of Indonesia who mourn the death of the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Khamenei.