Bamsoet: Unmasking of Acid Attack Perpetrators Proves State Not Involved

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Member of the Indonesian House of Representatives Bambang Soesatyo, alias Bamsoet, considers the unmasking of the perpetrators who threw acid at activist and Deputy Coordinator of KontraS Andrie Yunus as proof that state elements or the government are not the intellectual actors behind the terror act. Moreover, he stated that President Prabowo Subianto has strongly condemned the terror act and urged the authorities to thoroughly investigate the case to its masterminds. “The swift response of the TNI and Police in uncovering the case demonstrates the obedience of both institutions in protecting and maintaining the image of the state and government in the eyes of the public and the international community,” Bamsoet said in Jakarta on Friday. According to him, the TNI and Police’s response in uncovering the perpetrators is highly significant for efforts to preserve the purity of the face of democracy and the image of the government under President Prabowo Subianto. He also expressed his highest appreciation to the TNI and Police for promptly uncovering, identifying, and arresting the perpetrators. He stated that the motives behind the actions of the four perpetrators must continue to be investigated, both internally by the TNI and through legal processes. Because, he assessed, terror acts, intimidation, and assaults against individuals or groups voicing criticism of the government are highly detrimental to the government and state apparatus. “With such a response, the TNI and Police explain that the state and government do not silence public criticism,” he said. Therefore, he stated that the TNI and Police should not stop at merely arresting and punishing the perpetrators. The investigation, he said, needs to continue to aspects of the motives and the intellectual actors behind the four perpetrators. The case, he said, serves as a real example of dirty work by rogue elements within state institutions that could tarnish the government’s image. Terror and intimidation against individuals or groups voicing criticism of the government have occurred several times recently. “If not handled with firm action, that tendency will damage the credibility of the state and the credibility of President Prabowo’s administration,” he said.