Golkar Vows Severe Sanctions if Cadre Linked to Doctor's Death
Golkar Vows Severe Sanctions for Members Proven Involved in dr Icha Case
Jakarta, VIVA – Secretary General of the Golkar Party, Sarmuji, has confirmed that an internal investigation into a party cadre suspected of intimidating dr. Eliza Princila Utami Pakaenoni, known as dr. Icha, is still under way.
Sarmuji asserted that the party will impose severe sanctions, including dismissal, should the investigation prove a connection between the cadre’s actions and dr. Icha’s death.
“Yes, it is done. So here it is: we will certainly impose sanctions, even the most severe ones, including dismissal, if it is proven that there is a correlation between their actions and Icha’s death. But proving that is not easy. We also want to be fair,” Sarmuji said at the Parliament Complex in Senayan, Jakarta, on Monday, 13 July 2026.
On the other hand, Golkar continues to uphold the principle of justice in handling the case. For that reason, Golkar does not wish to rush into a decision before obtaining solid evidence regarding the causal relationship between the actions allegedly carried out by its cadre and dr. Icha’s death.
“We will impose the heaviest possible sanctions if the person is proven to have committed wrongdoing, but we must also be fair, truly knowing for certain that there is a causal link between those actions and the death,” Sarmuji said.
Sarmuji said the internal investigation is still ongoing. The party is still gathering information and testimony from a number of sources to establish the actual facts.
He also noted that the cadre in question has denied the allegations. However, according to him, Golkar is not relying solely on the account of the person concerned.
“If the perpetrator is the one confessing, of course they won’t admit it, so we are looking for other sources to see whether it is really true,” he said.
As previously reported, dr. Eliza Princila Utami Pakaenoni was diagnosed with severe depression after being shouted at by three members of the North Central Timor (TTU) Regency Legislative Council in East Nusa Tenggara whilst she was treating a snakebite patient. Two weeks later, the young doctor, affectionately known as dr. Icha, passed away. Her family has urged law enforcement to act swiftly.
The young doctor died on Friday, 26 June 2026, at her parents’ home in the RSS Baumata housing estate in Kupang Regency, after previously being hospitalised for severe depression.