Member of the House of Representatives from the Golkar Party Faction, Hetifah Sjaifudian, expressed concern about the sprinkling of hard water by unknown people experienced by the Deputy Coordinator for External Affairs of Kontras, Andrie Yunus. According to him, the government must find the perpetrators and provide legal sanctions so that it becomes a good precedent for democracy.
Hetifah assessed that violence against activists and journalists as a bridge of voice between the government and the community cannot be tolerated. He emphasized that the government should be able to protect the community from attempts to silence.
"Of course we are concerned about the incident, because as an activist and also of course anyone, journalists, who are the bridge between the community and the government, should be protected. Because the community also of course wants to have their voices heard and considered in a serious way to become policies that can reflect their hopes," Hetifah told reporters in Jakarta, Monday, March 16.
Hetifah did not want to speculate further regarding this incident, indicating that the country was not safe for government critics. However, at least, he said, this case indicates that freedom of expression must be protected as stated in the Law.
"Yes, at least from this case we see, yes, first it will probably silence or make people hesitant to be able to convey their voices and views. Because they are afraid of the consequences. So I think freedom of expression is one of the things we have to protect," explained the Chairman of Commission X of the DPR.
Therefore, Hetifah emphasized that the government must find the perpetrators and intellectual actors behind the spraying of hard water on Andrie Yunus, as well as provide severe legal sanctions. According to him, if the government is able to do this, it will be a good precedent for democracy in Indonesia.
"And whoever the perpetrator of this incident is, the government should or must find out who the perpetrator is. Because if we can find the perpetrator and also give the appropriate sanctions, it will be one of the good precedents for the democratic process in Indonesia," said the Deputy Secretary General of the Golkar Party.
Moreover, continued Hetifah, cases of spraying hard water on activists or vocal figures continue to occur. So it is hoped that the state will not neglect the security and safety of its citizens.
"We want these cases not to happen in the future, we must ensure that the state seriously investigates and at the same time also provides firm sanctions so that there is a deterrent effect," said Hetifah.
"The principle is that we want every citizen to feel safe and protected. Whoever he is, whatever his profession. A teacher should not be criminalized either, right? So an activist, journalist is like that. That's the point, the state provides protection," concluded the legislator from the East Kalimantan District.
The English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and French versions are automatically generated by the AI. So there may still be inaccuracies in translating, please always see Indonesian as our main language. (system supported by DigitalSiber.id)
