Haris-Fatia, Suspect In Luhut Case, Rocky Gerung: People Should Report Officials, Why Do Officials Report People?

Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan. (Antaranews)

JAKARTA - Political observer Rocky Gerung thinks it is wrong if the theory of equality before the law or all citizens are equal before the law is the basis for Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan to report on human rights activists Haris Azhar and Fatia Maulidiyanti.

In this case of criticism leading to defamation, Rocky sees Luhut as closer to legal access because of his position as an official as well as a businessman. For this reason, according to him, it is inappropriate for equality before the law to be applied to state officials who are criticized.

"Well, this is what we want to clarify beforehand, namely that people who want to report the people are a bit miraculous in our democratic system. People should report officials, why do officials report the people?!" said Rocky, quoted from the Rocky Gerung Official YouTube channel, Monday, March 21.

Rocky said officials have power that comes from the people, so it is natural to listen to public aspirations without being sensitive and responding by criminalizing.

"By nature, the official, the surplus of power, all the facilities provided by the people to the official should not be used to report the people. That's the point," said Rocky.

Haris and Fatia have been named suspects in the alleged defamation case reported by Luhut. Both will be questioned as suspects on Monday, March 21.

Julius Ibrani, a member of the Advocacy Team for Democracy as well as Fatia's legal team, said the summons for his client and Haris had been received Friday, March 19. Haris o Fatia will certainly be present at the summons.

"For Haris Azhar himself at 10.00 a.m., for Fatiya at 14.00 p.m. This means that this is a synergistic call, simultaneously because they are together," said Julius in a press conference recently.

The determination of this suspect then became the spotlight. The police are considered to have criminalized Haris and Fatia who are considered to be voicing the issue of Papua through videos, which were then uploaded to Haris Azhar's YouTube account.

The video is titled "There's a Lord Luhut Behind Intan Jaya's Military-OPS Economic Relations!! The State Intelligence Service (BIN) General Is Also There!"

In the video, the two discuss the results of research from a number of organizations such as KontraS, Walhi, Jatam, Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI), Pusaka about the business of the army (TNI AD) officials or retirees behind the gold mining business as well as plans to exploit the Wabu Block area in Intan Jaya, Papua.