Gowa Regent Reports Two Witnesses from DPRD Inquiry Panel to Police for Defamation
Gowa Regent Sitti Husniah Talenrang has reported two witnesses from the Gowa DPRD Special Committee (Pansus) Inquiry to the National Police’s Criminal Investigation Department (Bareskrim) for alleged defamation and providing false testimony. The two individuals reported are Agus Harahap, Head of the Gowa Transportation Agency, and Zaenal Abidin, a journalist.
Sitti Husniah Talenrang stated that the report was submitted together with her legal counsel to Bareskrim on Friday (3/7). “We are pursuing this legal action by filing a report with Bareskrim at the National Police Headquarters. Together with my legal counsel, I have reported the matter regarding defamation and false testimony by two witnesses with the initials ZA and AH,” Husniah said.
According to Husniah, the testimony of the two individuals did not align with the facts, thereby defaming her reputation as a regional head. Husniah confirmed she has submitted a number of pieces of evidence, though she was not yet willing to disclose the details of the evidence. “What is certain is that our report is supported by evidence, and this is what we have brought to the National Police Headquarters,” she said.
Husniah stated that the legal action was taken to safeguard the good name of the regional government, the dignity of the regional head, and to ensure that the matter does not disrupt governance in Gowa Regency. Meanwhile, Zaenal Abidin stated that he respects the legal process initiated by Husniah. “Whether or not there is a police report does not matter. What is clear is that we will follow the ongoing legal process,” he said.
Zaenal also stated that he merely conveyed information based on the material presented during the hearing and denied having directly stated that the figure in the video was the Gowa Regent. Meanwhile, Agus Harahap, when asked for confirmation regarding the report, had not yet provided a response.
Husniah is known to have rejected the inquiry’s discussion entering the realm of her privacy, which has been underway at the local DPRD. She also denied the testimony of several witnesses at the Pansus hearing. “I greatly respect the duties and obligations of Council members in carrying out their oversight function, but I strongly object if the Pansus discussion has deviated into personal realms unrelated to public policy,” she said in Gowa.
Husniah affirmed her readiness to face the legal process regarding the polemic being discussed in the Gowa DPRD Inquiry Panel. According to her, every individual has a right to privacy that must be respected. “Regarding the testimony of several witnesses at the Pansus hearing, including the involvement of a journalist as a witness, I am highlighting its legality aspect. I remind that based on Law Number 40 of 1999 concerning the Press, a journalist should not serve as a witness in a Pansus or inquiry hearing because it contravenes the journalistic code of ethics,” she said.