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Punk band Sukatani stares down police intimidation
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The members of punk band “Sukatani” perform in Subang, West Java. (Instagram Sukatani/Nosie Are Sip)
T
he members of Central Java punk band Sukatani have “firmly” rejected an offer to serve as ambassadors of the National Police after reportedly facing months of pressure and intimidation over a song criticizing police corruption that culminated in the band removing it from streaming platforms last month.
The punk duo, consisting of guitarist Muhammad Syifa Al Ufti, whose stage name is “Alectroguy”, and vocalist Novi Citra Indriyanto, also known as “Twister Angel”, announced their decision in a statement posted on Instagram on Saturday.
It was their first public statement since experiencing a wave of support on social media from artists and rights activists who suspected that Sukatani had been pressured by the police into removing the song “Bayar Bayar Bayar” (Pay pay pay) and apologizing to National Police Chief Gen. Listyo Sigit Prabowo on Feb. 20.
Syifa and Novi said on Saturday that they were still recovering from “various incidents” that they had experienced since July of last year.
“We had been subject to pressure and intimidation from the police until we issued the [apology video],” the band said. “The incident caused us to suffer material and non-material losses. But the support and solidarity [shown to us] have made us stronger and unwilling to give up.”
Among the losses the band was referring to was Novi’s dismissal from her job as a teacher at an Islamic elementary school in Central Java’s Banjarnegara regency. The school had initially claimed Novi was fired because she had been caught not wearing a hijab outside of school grounds.
But the band said this was not the case and that Novi had been unfairly dismissed for being a member of Sukatani.
