House Commission III Chair Urges UGM Student Leader Who Claims Intimidation to File Police Report

House of Representatives Commission III Chairman Habiburokhman has urged Gadjah Mada University (UGM) Student Executive Board (BEM) Chairman Tiyo Ardianto to file a police report after claiming to have received threats and intimidation. Habiburokhman said a police report would enable law enforcement to take action against the perpetrators.

“Regarding the reported intimidation against the UGM BEM Chairman, we hope that he files a police report so that the authorities can take appropriate action,” Habiburokhman told reporters on Saturday (21 February).

Habiburokhman maintained that the intimidation experienced by Tiyo did not originate from supporters of President Prabowo Subianto. He revealed that Prabowo’s supporters had also experienced similar treatment.

“We can confirm that the perpetrators are not from President Prabowo’s supporters. On the contrary, we need to inform the public that several of President Prabowo’s supporters have also received threats. I have also asked these colleagues to file police reports,” he said.

The Gerindra Party deputy chairman warned that other parties were attempting to divide the public. He said the current volatile situation could become a gateway to further discord.

“We must be vigilant against third parties seeking to pit our nation against itself. In the current climate, there may well be those who wish to fish in troubled waters,” he added.

Tiyo had previously stated that the intimidation began on 9 February. He said he had received various messages from several foreign numbers containing death threats and warnings of having his personal information exposed.

“The intimidation started on Tuesday, 9 February. There were around six foreign numbers from overseas. The messages contained kidnapping threats and threats to expose personal information,” Tiyo said.

Beyond the threats, Tiyo also claimed to have been stalked on Wednesday (11 February). The stalking was carried out by an unknown individual whilst Tiyo was at a café. Although he attempted to pursue the stalker, the person managed to flee.

“I was also stalked. I was at a café, and from a distance someone was following me and taking photographs. But when we gave chase, he quickly left. This is an alarm bell showing that our democracy is not in good shape,” he said.