The President Does Not Need To Form A Fact-finding Team For The FPI-Polri Shootout, There Is Already A Team From Komnas HAM

Illustration (Pixabay)

JAKARTA - Politician Gerindra Fadli Zon asked the government to form a joint fact-finding team (TGPF) to investigate the shooting of six Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) soldiers on the Jakarta-Cikampek Toll Road on Monday, December 7. At the same time, there was already a team that was engaged in investigating this case, namely Propam Police Headquarters and Komnas HAM.

Fadli Zon's request was conveyed on Thursday, December 10, via his Twitter account @fadlizon. In a thread, this member of the DPR RI asked Jokowi to form the TGPF to investigate this case.

"The president must form the TGPF and order the police questioning involved in the shooting in Karawang," said Fadli via his Twitter account with a blue tick.

There are four reasons why he asked that this team be formed. First, this team was formed so that the investigation of this case could be more independent because the police are currently the party in the case.

Second, this step must be taken because the level of trust in the police is very low and even tends to be distrusted.

Third, extra judicial killings of civilians such as the six laskar could be considered as gross human rights violations. So that it needs investigation with extra effort.

"Such actions (shooting, red) are prohibited, both by international human rights law and by the laws of our country," he said.

He also considered the steps taken by the police to be inappropriate. This is because the police should process it with the applicable criminal provisions. However, this could not be done, because the extra judicial killing process meant that six people suspected of violating the law could not be prosecuted according to the police allegations.

"And the people saw that they were not in a case with the police," he said.

The last reason, Fadli said, TGPF must be formed because there are many oddities in the case and it is difficult to accept.

"For example, it was said that there was a shootout but where was the scene of the incident? Where is the evidence of an attack on the police? How can a car belonging to an FPI member get to three cars ridden by officers," he asked.

"So I ask the president to immediately form a Joint Fact-Finding Team to investigate this matter. In addition, all police officers involved in the shooting incident must be examined and investigated so that it is known who the leader is responsible for such arbitrary acts," he added.

Ade Irfan Pulungan, an expert from the Presidential Staff Office (KSP), said that the formation of this joint team was deemed not necessary. Because, currently there is a team that has moved to find facts related to this shooting case.

"There is already a Komnas HAM, whose main function is according to the law," said Ade when contacted by VOI.

"Komnas HAM as a state institution is formed to assess whether in an incident, human rights violations have occurred," he added.

After the shooting of six FPI troops, Komnas HAM was found to have created a team whose aim was to explore information and gather facts from parties directly related to the incident. Including, digging direct information from the FPI.

Most recently, Komnas HAM will ask for information from the Managing Director of PT Jasa Marga Subakti Syukur and the Head of the Metro Jaya Regional Police, Inspector General Fadil Imran. The second summons are scheduled for next week.

"The team has sent a summons for inquiries to the President Director of PT Jasa Marga and the Kapolda Metro Jaya," Komnas HAM Commissioner Beka Ulung Hapsara said when confirmed by VOI.

According to Beka Ulung, the Komnas HAM investigation team has made a request to a number of parties involved in this case. Among them are FPI, witnesses, the families of the six laskar victims who died, and the community.

"The team also conducts direct field monitoring and is deepening the crime scene," he said.

"This request for information is to complement the various information that has been obtained and is being explored. Hopefully all parties can work together to make the incident clear," he continued.

The Executive Director of the Setara Institute Ismail Hasani also spoke about the TGPF's insistence on Fadli Zon's call. He said, in principle, FPI and its supporters have the right to demand that the government work optimally.

However, he asked all parties to wait for the results of the investigation by the existing team, such as the team from the Police Headquarters Propam and Komnas HAM. Because, TGPF is usually only formed if the institutions that have carried out the initial investigation are unable to resolve cases adequately and objectively.

"The TPF or an independent team is an alternative political mechanism because it is often formed by the president if the existing institutions cannot provide adequate explanations or the investigation is objective," said Ismail.

He then asked all parties, FPI and the public to first allow the existing team to work, investigate, or clarify various kinds of controversies related to this shooting case.

"I see it as giving opportunities to the available organs. Because the argument from the presence of an independent team is that there is distrust of the existing institutional work products," he said.

"This institution is not working yet. How can we not believe it because it is not yet working. So, first give them the opportunity to work," he concluded.