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.