7 Hours Checked Regarding Rizieq Crowd, Kang Emil Apologizes

West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil (Photo: Doc BNPN)

JAKARTA - West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil apologized to residents who were disturbed by the crowd of FPI Grand Imam Rizieq Shihab in Megamendung, Bogor, West Java. This was conveyed by Kang Emil after being questioned at the Police Criminal Investigation Unit for seven hours.

"If there are incidents in West Java that are not very pleasing, they are still not optimal, of course I apologize, apologize for the shortcomings and of course we will continue to perfect it," said Kang Emil at the National Police Criminal Investigation Unit, Jakarta, Friday, November 20.

Apart from being on behalf of the regional head, Ridwan Kamil also apologized on behalf of the COVID-19 Task Force. Because apart from being the Governor, he is the Chairperson of the West Java COVID-19 Handling Task Force.

"10 months of dealing with COVID-19, of course there will be dynamics of ups and downs. So that the good will be continued and those that are lacking will certainly be improved," said Kang Emil.

Ridwan Kamil explained to the media crew the West Java government system. He said, West Java Province is a region that has regional autonomy. That is, regional heads such as mayors and regents are directly elected by the people.

"It is different from DKI Jakarta which does not have an autonomous region (the mayor or the regent is elected by the governor)," said Emil.

So, if there is an event or activity of any kind, it is the responsibility of the regional head. "Not all matters are technically the responsibility of the governor because the law provides limitations," he said.

However, Kang Emil emphasized that this was not conveyed to find a scapegoat related to the alleged violation of the health protocol by Rizieq Shihab in Megamendung, Bogor some time ago.

"So I said I did not intend to look for a scapegoat, so I started that whatever happened was still my responsibility as a regional leader. That's why I'm sorry. But from a technical point of view, if we want to talk about law we must be proportional," he said.