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, stop fooling us
Gen. Listyo should realize he will only seriously compromise his and the police’s credibility if he chooses to protect a few.
Change Size
police shootout cartoon (JP/T. Sutanto)
F
or the sake of the force’s credibility, National Police chief Gen. Listyo Sigit Prabowo has no choice but to disclose the truth surrounding last week’s fatal shootout inside the house of Insp. Gen. Ferdy Sambo, the police’s internal affairs chief, as soon as possible.
The public has shown little trust in the police’s account and many have even been suspicious about acts of cover-up, particularly because of irregularities found in connection with the incident. The police, for example, only announced the shootout that killed Brig. Nopryansyah Yoshua Hutabarat three days after it had happened. And after initially being prohibited from opening the coffin in order to see the body of the slain officer, the family of Yosua discovered traces of torture apart from bullet wounds that claimed his life.
On Tuesday, Listyo announced Ferdy’s suspension from his post in order to facilitate the investigation, but this does not help much unless the police shed light on why Yoshua, who had served Ferdy as the driver and adjutant of his wife Putri Candrawati, was killed and who is really responsible for it.
The police said Yosua was shot to death after allegedly attempting to sexually harass Putri at gunpoint inside her room. Another bodyguard, Sec. Prv. E, heard Putri’s scream and rushed into the room to help. During the shootout E hit Yoshua, a sniper, five times, while the latter shot seven times but all missed the target. The police said all CCTV cameras in the house broke down when the incident took place.
Yoshua’s family now suspects his death was premeditated, given the many wounds on his body, and has asked for a second autopsy by an independent institution. "Right shoulder and jaw were unjointed; teeth were messed up; cut wounds in various parts such as the lips, nose, under the eyes, in the back of his ear, hand and foot … bruises on the stomach and chest,” Kamarudin Simanjuntak, the lawyer representing the family, said on Monday.
The case is actually an ordinary crime, regarding which the police investigators could quickly unveil what really happened at the house that day. However, after 12 days mystery is still shrouding the case.
Gen. Listyo should realize he will only seriously compromise his and the police’s credibility if he chooses to protect a few. He also needs to be aware that thanks to social media, speculations have been rife about the circumstances of the incident; many of them seem to be more convincing than the police’s account.
Unfortunately, the police’s explanation about the incident has offended public common sense. Therefore, it is very difficult to keep the public from perceiving that the investigation only aims to cover up the case because it involves a powerful police figure. The police track record has been disappointing when it comes to investigation into cases implicating police generals.
Listyo’s failure to bring clarity and solve the case will not only cost him his credibility but will also undermine public confidence in the police, at a time when the institution is already facing mounting calls for an end to its use of violence and intimidation while performing its duties.
