PDI-P official to be quizzed over political clashes in Bali
PDI-P official to be quizzed over political clashes in Bali
Wahyoe Boediwardhana, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar, Bali
Bali Governor Dewa Made Beratha gave the green light on Wednesday
for police to question I Made Sudana, a councillor with the
Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), accused
of possibly playing a leading role in recent political clashes.
The provincial police submitted a request three days ago with
the governor for permission to grill Sudana, who chairs the PDI
Perjuangan faction in the Tabanan legislative council.
"This (Wednesday) afternoon, the governor put his signature on
that letter. It means that he's approved the police request for
permission to question the councillor," Beratha's spokesperson
Gede Nurjaya said.
He said his office would immediately notify the Bali Police
about the permission, which is required under Indonesian law when
questioning public representatives.
Separately on Wednesday, detective chief of Bali Police Sr.
Com. Boy Salamudin said he received information that Sudana had
"verbally ordered several people" to launch the attacks.
Sudana's responses to the questioning will be important for
police to determine whether he was involved in the fatal fighting
between supporters of PDI Perjuangan and Golkar Party, which
ended with at least two people dead from the Golkar side on
Sunday.
The victims were beaten to death by PDI Perjuangan supporters
in Buleleng regency, some 100 kilometers north of Denpasar.
Similar clashes also broke out on Saturday in six separate
areas across Tabanan, when PDI Perjuangan supporters intercepted
and assaulted convoys of Golkar supporters, who were heading to
the Padanggalak square in Sanur to celebrate their party's 39th
anniversary.
No deaths were reported in Saturday's clashes, but six
Balinese traditional performers were injured. During the clashes,
at least two motorbikes and six cars were also destroyed.
"We will try to find out whether the interceptions (of the
Golkar convoy) and assaults were premeditated, organized and
planned. We hope the councillor will be able to shed some light
on this for us," Salamudin said.
He added that Sudana could be implicated in the Tabanan
disturbances if police investigators found evidence of his
alleged involvement in the melee.
The councillor could be charged with violating Article 170 of
the Criminal Code for carrying out an act of violence against
persons and or property, which carries a maximum penalty of 12
years in prison.
As of Wednesday, the Tabanan police had questioned at least
eleven people in connection with the weekend violence.
Meanwhile, the Buleleng police said on Wednesday they had
named more suspects in Sunday's attacks on Golkar supporters,
bringing the number of those charged to 14 people, almost all
them PDI Perjuangan supporters.
The police have also charged three Golkar supporters as
suspects in a separate attack on Monday night. They have been
accused of hurling several Molotov cocktails at their rivals in
Banyuning village.
In an apparent effort to exercise self-restraint, rival
supporters voluntarily lowered numerous giant-sized flags of
their parties, which had crowded the skyline of Denpasar for the
last two weeks.
Bali Police chief Insp. Gen. Made Mangku Pastika has said the
excessive displays of flags and logos by Golkar and PDI
Perjuangan were partly to blame for the recent political clashes.
The other factors in this volatile tinderbox, of course, are
the arrogant paramilitary wings from each party (Satgas), the
rapidly multiplying number of their command posts (Posko), as
well as the long-standing enmity that exists between their
respective forces dating back to previous conflicts, he said.
"These four triggers have played a significant role in
reviving the friction among the rank-and-file supporters of the
two political parties," added Pastika.