DPR Asks Police To Completely Investigate Cases Of Witness Cabup Sampang Killed By Scarok

Photo by Jacob Morch on Unsplash

Member of Commission III of the DPR RI Nasir Djamil highlighted the case of the death of a witness from one of the candidate pairs (paslon) for the Sampang Pilbup, East Java. He asked law enforcement officials to thoroughly investigate the case that was suspected of being involved in the political element.

"I regret that there was such a tragic incident in the midst of this regional people's party or regional election. We ask the police to thoroughly investigate the motive of the beating to the death of the witness, one of the candidate pairs," said Nasir, Wednesday, November 20.

The people of Sampang who died were Jimmy Sugito Putra who was a witness from the Candidates for Regent (Cabup) and the Deputy Regent of Sampang, Slamet Junaidi-Achmad Mahfudz (Saktah Jimmy). This case began with the attack on the Slamet and Achmad cars after candidate pair no. 2 made a visit to the house of Kiyai Mualif's fault in Ketapang District, Sunday (17/11).

The Slamet group finally managed to leave the location after one of Muhammad bin Muafi Zaini-Abdullah Hidayat's (Mandat) team, who was his opponent's candidate, took him out of the obstacles. But the commotion then occurred after Slamet Junaidi's entourage left the location. As a result, the crowd carrying sharp weapons attacked the victim. Jimmy died after being beaten and stabbed (carok).

Nasir said violence was not justified for any reason.

"Anyone who commits violence must be legally responsible. Strict action against the perpetrators of the stabbing that killed the victim," he said.

If it is proven that there are indications of political involvement in the incident, according to Nasir, this bloody incident must be a momentum for introspection of political culture in Indonesia. He reminded that democracy must be carried out peacefully.

"We really hope that all parties can take part in the Pilkada in an orderly, safe, peaceful manner. The political sector must return to ethical and democratic channels, where every difference of view can be respected without sacrificing human life and dignity," explained Nasir.

Nasir said that dissatisfaction caused by political competition should be resolved through democratic dialogue and elections, not through violence that triggers fear in society.

"Such acts of violence should not happen. We must culturalize healthy politics, including in the implementation of the Pilkada as a people's party that should be encouraging," added the legislator from the Aceh II electoral district.

In the midst of the dynamics of political participation that has decreased, Nasir said incidents like this can make people increasingly reluctant to engage in general election contestation. For this reason, candidate pairs are expected to remind the success team and its supporters to maintain their attitude.

"We need to sue the commitment of all parties, including law enforcement officials, to provide protection for witnesses and the community. Don't let there be more victims," Nasir hoped.

Nasir said the anarchic methods used to deal with political opponents clearly hurt the value of democracy and justice and did not reflect the polite politics that had been echoed by all parties.

"The beatings that are feared to be affected by the political background in Sampang are serious violations of human rights and damage the social order," he said.

Nasir reminded that acts of violence, intimidation, or beatings cannot be justified at all. Entering the final stages of the elections, he also appealed to all parties, both prospective officials and supporters, to maintain ethics and integrity in democracy.

"Violence will only erode public confidence in the political system and add to the divisions among residents," said Nasir.

This member of the Commission in the DPR in charge of law enforcement matters assessed that the role of victim Jimmy as a witness should be seen from a humanitarian perspective that is not directly related to practical political affairs. Nasir hopes that all parties can refrain, including from the group or supporters of the Slamet-Achmad candidate pair.

"This case must be a serious concern for all of us, especially since the implementation of the simultaneous regional elections has only to calculate the days. We want democratic implementation to take place safely and smoothly," he explained.

Nasir also reminded about the obligation of law enforcers to carry out investigations that must be free from discrimination or intervention from any party. This is to ensure public trust in law enforcement.

"Without firm and swift action, there will be an assumption that this case is covered up or even deliberately left behind for certain political interests. This is a violation of justice that cannot be tolerated," explained Nasir.

For information, the police have arrested 2 perpetrators of the beating and are still hunting for other perpetrators. The 2024 Sampang Pilbup will be held on November 27, 2024 at 1,344 polling stations spread across 180 villages and six sub-districts in 14 sub-districts.