Public invitations were extended, performers flown in and state resources utilized, albeit paid for. However, the celebration turned to tragedy when a stampede occurred, leading to these fatalities. This incident should prompt public reflection not only on the immediate loss of life but also on the increasingly concerning conduct of politicians in the country.

Vania Aprilia, 8, Dewi Jubaedah, 61, and Chief Brig. Cecep Saeful Bahri, who has received a posthumous promotion to second adjunct inspector, were not mere statistics.

They were human beings drawn to a public celebration hosted by their elected leaders; people who had the means and power to ensure their safety but did not.

Public officials, especially those entrusted with large portfolios like a governorship or police leadership, must not treat public trust as a personal asset.

Yet this is exactly what the Garut tragedy revealed; a culture of impunity in which state office, facilities and personnel are casually used for private ends, even if dressed in the language of public celebration.

Governor Dedi initially claimed he had warned against the event. But videos from his own YouTube channel tell a different story: One where he knowingly promoted the celebration, joking that his son had “many fans” and inviting people to “eat as much as they want, watch as much as they want and laugh as much as they want”.

Everyone in Indonesia knows weddings are an occasion for the parents just as much as they are for the betrothed.

When the party turned deadly, official responses were quick to cite standard operating procedures. The police insisted that permits were filed, risk assessments made and more than 400 personnel deployed.

But that only deepens our concern. If guidelines were followed and tragedy still struck, perhaps the standards were broken or never meant to be enforced beyond paper.

This is not an isolated failure, but part of a larger pattern in which Indonesian political life is increasingly defined by public spectacle over public service.

One needs only do a cursory online search to find examples of extravagant social media posts linked to suspiciously rich bureaucrats.

Events like this wedding become a political theater, where popularity is mistaken for legitimacy, and where large crowds are not managed but invited for optics. It is a model of leadership that rewards showmanship while downplaying responsibility.

As one opinion writer rightly pointed out in a recent commentary, “what matters most is not that the victims died, but that they died at a celebration of power”.

The gravity of that statement cannot be overstated.

In a vast country where public safety is too often compromised for political gain, we cannot afford to normalize preventable death.

We can only hope this incident will be a wake-up call for political elites across the country.

Popularity is not an excuse for recklessness. Office is not a license for entitlement. With great power comes great responsibility, especially when it is openly broadcast.

We urge the West Java Police to pursue their investigation transparently and without fear or favor. Questions must be answered: Was there pressure to greenlight the event despite risks? Were officers adequately trained for crowd control? Were safety protocols revised in light of the large attendance encouraged by the governor himself?

There must be independent oversight, transparent planning and public accountability when tragedy strikes.

It is not enough to put a price on injury or loss of life reparations. The public must know that their leaders are not just entertainers, but caretakers of life and dignity.