TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Police investigate six officers over punk song censorship scandal
The incident attracted widespread public attention, with artists and netizens expressing their support for the band on social media using the hashtag #KamiBersamaSukatani (we are with Sukatani), often accompanied by the slogan “ACAB,” which stands for “all cops are bastards”.
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
The guitarist of punk band Sukatani, Muhammad Syifa Al Ufti (left), and vocalist Novi Citra pose in an undated picture from their Instagram account. The band hails from Purbalingga, Central Java. (Instagram/@sukatani.band)
T
he Central Java Police have launched an internal investigation into six officers for allegedly intimidating members of Purbalingga punk band Sukatani to force them to retract their viral song “Bayar, Bayar, Bayar” (pay, pay, pay), which criticizes corrupt police officers.
“The officers are currently being questioned by investigators from the Internal Affairs Division [Propam]. We will share the results of the investigation with the public once it is complete,” Central Java Police spokesperson Sr. Comr. Artanto said on Sunday, as reported by Kompas.
Artanto said the investigation had been initiated in response to a public complaint alleging that the officers had committed an ethics violation and had abused their power during a meeting with members of Sukatani last week.
On Thursday, several officers from the Central Java Police's cybercrime division met with Sukatani members in Banyuwangi, East Java, to seek "clarification" on the song, which contains lines that translate to, “Lost something? Pay the police! Want to become a cop? Pay the police! Want to commit corruption? Pay the police!”
Shortly after the meeting, the duo posted a video on their Instagram account apologizing to National Police Chief Gen. Listyo Sigit Prabowo and other officials for their song. They also announced that they had removed the song from all digital platforms and urged the public to delete any recordings of “Bayar, Bayar, Bayar”.
In the video, the band’s producer and guitarist Muhammad Syifa Al Ufti, along with vocalist Novi Citra Indriyato, revealed their faces and real names. The punk band is known for wearing full face masks and performing under the stage names Alectroguy and Twister Angel.
Backlash
