| abstract
| - Meutya Viada Hafid (born in Bandung, West Java, May 3, 1978, age 34 years) is a member of House of Representative Republic of Indonesia, currently seat on Commission I (Defense, Military, Intelligence, Information and Foreign Affairs), from Golkar Party, for 2009-2014 term. Previously she worked as a journalist in Metro TV. Meutya brought news as well as a presenter at several events. On February 18, 2005, Meutya and her cameraman, Budiyanto, were kidnapped and held hostage by gunmen while they were on duty in Iraq. The last contact made with Meutya is on February 15, three days earlier, by Metro TV. They were finally released on February 21, 2005. Prior to Iraq, Meutya has also covered the tsunami tragedy in Aceh. On 28 September 2007, Meutya launch her book, entitled 168 Jam dalam Sandera: Memoar Seorang Jurnalis yang Disandera di Irak ‘(168 Hours Taken as A Hostage: Memoirs of a Journalist in Iraq). President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono contributed in the introduction of this book. Besides the president, several other figures also contributed their writings such as Don Bosco Selamun (Chief Editor of Metro TV 2004-2005) and Marty Natalegawa (Former Spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs). On October 11, 2007, Meutya Hafid was selected as the winner of Elizabeth O'Neill Journalism Award, granted by the government of Australia. The award is given each year to commemorate former Australian Embassy Press Attache Elizabeth O'Neill, who died in her duties on March 7, 2007 in a plane crash in Yogyakarta. The award is given to one Australian journalist and one Indonesian journalist, assigned directly by the Australian Ambassador for Indonesia, Bill Farmer. ABC Radio Australia journalist named Joanna McCarthy was elected as the other winner. Along with this award, Meutya underwent 3-week program in Australia rural areas to develop a better understanding and appreciation of contemporary issues between Australia and Indonesia. Farmer said Meutya who was a leading presenter of Metro TV news and talk shows like Top Nine News, Today's Dialogue and Metro Today, is the "most appropriate winner" as she is a hardworking, professional and dedicated journalist with good experience. [1] On February 19, 2008, Meutya is among the winner of Australia Alumnus Award in 2008 for the category of Journalism and Media, together with the owner of the Lippo Group Dr. Tjahaja James Riady (the alumni of the University of Melbourne) who received the same award for the category of entrepreneurship. Meutya had studied at the University of New South Wales, before working as Metro TV journalist. Other finalists in the same category are Avian Tumengkol (William Angliss Institute), a special vice presidential and foreign affairs, Wishnutama Kusubandio (Kooralbyn International School) who was a Director of Trans7, Mohammad Sobary (Monash University) who is an Executive Director of Kemitraan; and Rahmad Nasution (University of Queensland), Jakarta chief bureau of Reuters. Meutya is one of 30,000 Indonesian students in Australia in the last 50 years that shows good achievement and gives valuable contributions to make the social environment of Australia closer to Indonesian, and vice versa. The awards were handed over her, in front of about 700 Australia alumnus and some Indonesian diplomats for Australia. Ex ministers Hartarto and leading businessman Noke Kiroyan were there too. [2] On February 9, 2012, Meutya is among the five-top figures of The Most Aspiring Journalists in Indonesia, listed by Mizan Press, as she is considered as a major figure behind the development of Indonesian press. Meutya is the only woman who is listed there, and also the youngest one. She was elected along with Tirto Adhi Soerjo. Tirto Adhi Soerjo, is the pioneer of the first newspaper in Indonesia through "Medan Prijaji" on January 1, 1907 in Bandung. Besides him, there is also the notorious writer and founder of Tempo magazine Goenawan Mohamad, the legendary Indonesian press figure Rosihan Anwar, and Andy F. Noya who hosts the famous show "Kick Andy" on Metro TV. "We are also getting more aware that it does not only take intellect and insight to be a journalist, but also courage and tenacity. And, last but not least, Meutya also make us realize that journalist is not male specialized profession, " Mizan said. In 2010, she was paired with H Dhani Meutya Setiawan Isma S.Sos as the candidate for Mayor and Deputy Mayor Binjai for the period of 2010-2015, supported by the Golkar Party, Democrats, Hanura, PAN, Patriot, P3I, PDS and 16 members of non-party's faction of Binjai parliament. The declaration of Meutya-Dhani candidacy, strongly backed by Golkar Party, for Mayor and Deputy Mayor held in Patar Hall Building, Jalan Tengku Imam Bonjol, Binjai City, on February 17, 2010. The declaration ceremony attended by thousands of people that took Binjai police officers made extra protection. Unfortunately, Meutya lost. At that time, there was allegation of fraud occurred during vote recapitulation counting in the election office of West Binjai, North Binjai, East Binjai, South Binjai, and Binjai City. There was also a strong notion that Dhani-Meutya’s ballots intentionally cut by 200, from 22,287 to 22,087. Besides that, many Dhani-Meutya votes were canceled because of too many ballots punched up symmetriccally in the back of the voting paper that made them automatically cancelled, and many ballots were also pinned in the middle that benefited certain candidate. Meutya seek for justice to the Constitutional Court and asked for ballot boxes recounting, as well as seeking truth in Binjai City election, in where the fraud was alleged to have happened in some polling stations in District of West Binjai, based on the findings of many witnesses in each polling station. Unfortunately, the Court decided to reject the petition due to ‘insufficient evidence’. [4] [5] In August 2010, she was appointed as a Member of Parliament inter-time of the Golkar Party, replacing Burhanudin Napitupulu who passed away [6]. When a mass organization founded by Surya Paloh, called Nasional Demokrat (Democratic National) party, changed itself into a political party on July 25, 2011, Meutya who was known as the close friend of Surya Paloh (he is her tutor while working on Metro TV) is among Golkar cadres who left Nasdem. Golkar Party General Secretary Idrus Marham said all members of the Golkar Party faction decided to withdraw from the Democratic National. Their resignation announced on Thursday, August 11, 2011 which is the deadline for Golkar cadres to choose between the banyan-symbolized-party and Nasdem. Besides Meutya, other Golkar cadres who had joined in Nasdem, and left afterwards, are Jeffrie Geovani and Ferry Mursyidan Baldan. On that day, Meutya Hafid stated on her Twitter account, firmly said, "it is not possible for me to become a member of another political party.” Meutya Hafid’s fame had invited to a terror from a man named Bobby Meidianto. This man, who reported to some have psychological problem since 2000, was claiming to be Meutya’s husband, and spreading false news in cyberspace. Bobby is the resident of RT. 1 / RW. VII Panularan Village, Solo, Central Java, who no longer takes care of his wife and two children, namely Flag (18 years) and Pramudya (8 years). Bobby is said to have living as a bohemian, after showing some psychiatric disorders action. According to the story of Mrs. Harsono, Bobby’s mother-in-law, he already has been showing some signal of suffering mental disorder since he got married. It eventually touched the peak when one of his half brother came to clarify whether he was dead. According Meutya, there was a man dressed in rags who waited at the gate of her house for three days. Bobby said that he is a Retired Lt. Col. and a member of a special detachment of Republic of Indonesia police force.
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