Novel Baswedan: I'll Be Taken Aback If President Stays Silent

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) senior investigator Novel Baswedan hopes that President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo will intervene in the legal handling of the case of the acid attack against him.

Novel considered the light charges made against his two alleged assailants reflected many irregularities. He believed the president would not remain silent.

“I know Pak President is interested in building all sectors in this country, including enforcing the law, improving the legal system. Of course, he will be disturbed by seeing the facts that the law enforcement is torn,” said Novel in an online discussion of Tempo dubbed "Ngobrol Tempo" today, Monday, June 15.

Novel referred to the trial of his case, which he deemed problematic since the onset of the legal proceeding.

Apart from his doubt that the two alleged attackers, Rahmat Kadir Mahulette and Ronny Bugis, are the suspects, Novel observed there were many manipulations and biases from the investigators up to the prosecutors.

Lately, the prosecutors even sought one year's imprisonment for Rahmat and Ronny. By this, the prosecutor was considered failed to accommodate Novel’s interest as a victim who believes that the attack was an attempted murder or severe persecution.

Since Indonesia adopts a presidential system, Novel stated he had the right to ask about issue to Jokowi as the ultimate power holder. Should the President want to build a better justice system, Novel hopes Jokowi can look deeper into this case.

“I will be taken aback if Pak President remains silent. I am sure he will step in to see the facts and do investigations. That’s the ideal. I am not sure that the President will turn a blind eye to this fact, which will reflect the portrait of the President’s performance that seems to be poor,” Novel Baswedan remarked.

EGI ADYATAMA