TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – Yadi Hendriana, the chairman of the Indonesian Television Journalist Association, has reminded all parties that the police and reporters have equal positions.
“The press and the police have the same ability. The press can also roll out investigations just like the police can,” he said at the Press Council building on Thursday, March 5, 2015.
He said the police these days seemed to criminalize anyone, including the press—referring to the police reports filed by the Indonesian Grassroot Movement (GMBI) against Tempo magazine recently. Yadi said the press could retaliate by unveiling some police officers’ negative acts.
The GMBI, spearheaded by Fauzan Rahman, reported Tempo magazine over its 19-25 February issue titled Not Just a Fat Bank Account—particularly the story on pages 34-35 about Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan’s allegedly transferring cash to multiple parties—to the National Police detective department (Bareskrim).
Yadi took for example that the press could look into the rampant robberies of motor vehicles in the Greater Jakarta region and check whether the security authorities had committed any misconduct in handling the crimes.
"We can investigate whether the police have committed violence while dealing with those cases,” he said.
Yadi also said the public was still in need of rightful police force that professionally carried out its duties and functions. “But not an institution that took a fancy to criminalizing other parties,” he added.
MITRA TARIGAN
