Novel Baswedan: What Is the President Going to Say Now?

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Senior investigator of Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Novel Baswedan said he had predicted the police’s failure to disclose the case of an acid attack against him. He reminded again the importance of the formation of the Joint Fact-Finding Team (TGPF).

“This is like what I had predicted four months after the incident. I said this would never be revealed, so TGPF needed to be established,” Novel told Tempo, Friday, November 1.

He lamented President Jokowi’s stance that showed the opposite; waiting for the investigation result of the police’s technical team. Over two years have passed, and there is no report about the arrest of the perpetrator thus far, Novel added.

“It has [remained unsolved] for so long. What is the President going to say now?” Novel remarked.

The police’s technical team was formed on August 1, 2019, and the task should have been finished yesterday, October 31. However, until its 3-month working period set by President Jokowi ended, the police failed to unveil the terror actors.

The team was ordered to follow up on the findings by the police joint team established last January. The joint team discovered three people suspected of being involved in the terror case.

Thus, Novel Baswedan assessed that the National Police were brave enough to neglect the President’s orders considering no result was submitted even after three instructions made. “I think if the president's orders were not executed, then whose orders [they] would obey?” Novel said.

FIKRI ARIGI