North Maluku GMKI Rejects Restorative Justice Case Of Halut Regent Disbanding Parang Bawa Demo

Masses of the Indonesian Christian Student Movement (GMKI) of the XV North Maluku Region held a demonstration in front of the North Maluku Police Headquarters, in Ternate, Wednesday (14/8/2024). ANTARA/Abdul Fatah

JAKARTA - The Indonesian Christian Student Movement (GMKI) for the XV North Maluku Region (Malut) held an action calling for rejecting restorative justice in the case of the Regent of North Halmahera (Halut) Frans Manery (FM) carrying machetes after and disbanding the mass demonstration of the GMKI Tobelo branch.

"This case has been reported by the organization through the legal team officially, so it is hoped that there will be no peaceful justice because of the influence of certain elements," said GMKI mass coordinator for the XV Malut Region Edwar Lahengko in delivering his oration in front of the North Maluku Regional Police Headquarters in Ternate, Wednesday, August 14, confiscated by Antara.

He said the GMKI Region XV urged the North Maluku Regional Police to immediately name Frans Manery as a suspect in the threat case which is currently at the investigation stage.

Edwar said that during the investigation process, the North Maluku Police were asked not to compromise with any interested parties, so there was no restorative justice attempt in the case.

According to him, Frans Manery's action to disperse the mass of the Tobelo branch of the GMKI in a demonstration on Friday, May 31, 2024, holding a machete was considered very fatal for a public official who should set a good example.

"We hope that the North Maluku Police will be professional because this case has harmed many parties. Because we all know that the actions taken by the regent are very fatal, especially since they are public officials, why are they chasing the mass of action using machetes, it is very fatal," he said.

GMKI Region XV also asked the North Maluku Regional Police to be selective in handling cases by immediately naming FM as a suspect because the regent of the two periods is suspected of having also violated the Emergency Law (UU) Number 12 of 1951.

GMKI Region XV also asked the North Maluku Regional Police to provide legal protection to victims who are suspected of being intimidated by certain elements.

Previously, the Regent of Halut FM dispersed the mass of the GMKI Tobelo branch in a demonstration criticizing a number of policies of the Halut Regency Government which were considered a waste of budget.

Feeling that they were being protested, FM took a machete and then dispersed the crowd until they ran in confusion. The incident then went viral on social media.

Meanwhile, investigators from the Directorate of General Criminal Investigation (Ditreskrimsus) of the North Maluku Police admitted that the case of alleged unpleasant acts committed by the Regent of Halut Frans Manery on the report of the Tobelo branch of the GMKI had increased to the stage of the investigation.

Director of Criminal Investigation at the North Maluku Police, Kombes Pol Asri Effendy, said the cases that led to mutual reporting between the two were both handled by investigators from the North Maluku Police Ditreskrimum.

"So both of them have been handled, if the Regent's back report against GMKI is still in the investigation stage," he said.