Police Refuse To Interfere With HTI Flag Photos At KPK Employee Desks

Red and White House (Production Team Dock)

JAKARTA - Police do not want to comment on the presence of the Hisbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI) flag on the desk of an employee of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK). For the Police it is an internal problem of the anti-corruption agency.

"That's internal to the KPK, internal to the KPK, we'll just have to wait for the resolution of the problem," said Karo Penmas of the Public Relations Division of the Police, Brigadier General Rusdi Hartono, to reporters, Wednesday, October 6.

In addition to submitting the matter directly to the KPK, Rusdi is confident that the anti-corruption agency can resolve it properly. So, the police do not need to intervene.

"We are sure that the KPK will be able to solve the problem," said Rusdi.

Previously, the viral photo of the HTI flag on the KPK employee desk began with Iwan Ismail's writing in an open letter on Wednesday, September 29. Iwan Ismail is a former security guard at the KPK. He admitted to photographing the flag on the 10th floor of the KPK's Red and White Building, which is the prosecution's office.

He claimed to have photographed the flag at the same time as a wave of mass protests against the ratification of the 2019 KPK Law revision.

"After there was a big demonstration at the KPK building on Friday, September 20, 2019 with the issue of "KPK Taliban" then at night after the security picket I returned with my friend to go up to the 10th floor and was still caught seeing the black and white flag (owned by HTI) it was still installed on the same work desk, so I took a photo again to make a report, assuming that this flag was what made the Taliban KPK noisy. Since it was Friday night and the day after tomorrow I had my day off, so I intend to make a report on Monday. Iwan wrote in his Facebook status.

Responding to this, Acting KPK Spokesperson for Enforcement, Ali Fikri, said the photo uploaded on social media was a hoax and was deliberately spread to mislead parties outside the anti-corruption commission. He is also the employee who has now been fired.

"It was concluded that the person concerned intentionally and without rights had spread false and misleading information to external parties. This then caused hatred from the public which had an impact on reducing the image and reputation of the KPK," said Acting KPK Spokesperson for Enforcement Sector Ali Fikri to journalists, Saturday, September 2nd.

Meanwhile, the employee who puts up the flag is proven not to be affiliated with HTI which belongs to a banned group or organization. "So there are no regulations that prohibit his actions," said Ali.