Rights Activists Say ‘Abusive’ Satpol PP Has No Place in Indonesia

*)copied from The Jakarta Globe


Ulma Haryanto

Indonesia should break up all public order agencies and review public order bylaws in light of repeated violence by their officers, a coalition of human rights and legal aid groups demanded on Monday.

“It is our view that human rights violations by public order officers toward minority groups and the poor, including street vendors, buskers, transvestites, women and children, violate the constitution,” Poltak Sinaga, from the Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights Association (PBHI), said during a public discussion at the Foundation of the Legal Aid Institute (YLBHI).

Speaking for the coalition, which comprises at least 19 non-governmental organizations, Poltak read out 21 cases of alleged violence at the hands of public-order officers dating back to 2004, some of them resulting in deaths.

“The most recent incident?” Poltak said. “Three teenage buskers died last month after being chased down by Satpol PP. Ari Susanto and Adi Wibowo drowned in the East Flood Canal in Jakarta and Muhammad Faisal was hit by a truck in Central Jakarta while trying to avoid being captured by these officers. And these are only the cases that have been reported to us.”

Before the discussion, a documentary was screened on Irfan Maulana, a 14-year-old boy who died in January 2007. It showed Irfan being severely beaten by nine public order officers. His family reported the case to police. According to the documentary, not a single officer involved in the beating was apprehended.

Heru Suprapto, from the Jakarta Center for Street Children, said the public order units, known as Satpol PP, were a legacy of the Dutch colonial era. “The Dutch used the so-called public order officers to discipline the indigenous people,” Heru said.

Newspapers often report alleged acts of violence and harassment by public order officers, including against squatters and illegal street vendors.

This year, the Jakarta administration earmarked Rp 47.6 billion ($5.23 million) for Satpol PP, up from Rp 21.4 billion last year, Heru said, adding that the force was known to enjoy “extra” fees by inflating the number of officers and allegedly charging illegal vendors “security fees” if they wanted to keep operating.

“I would like to suggest the City Council set up a committee to investigate human rights violations by Satpol PP,” Heru said.

He also criticized a new regulation that allowed agency commanders to possess firearms and other items of self-defense. Even before this regulation, the officers were known to be armed with water cannons and electrical equipment when conducting their duties.

“A public order officer once pointed his gun at me when I was trying to advocate the relocation of people in North Jakarta a while back,” Heru said.

Ricky Arsilan, of the Student Movement at Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University, said not only people in Jakarta were oppressed.

“Groups in Samarinda [East Kalimantan] and Surabaya [East Java] are also demanding the body be shut down,” he said.

Jakarta city councilor Wanda Hamidah said the agency could not simply be disbanded. “First we have review or annul the law that is the basis for any administration having such officers,” she said.

Wanda said public order law stated the officers should uphold religious, constitutional and human rights norms.

“But most officers seem to forget about it. The City Council will evaluate the budget for the public order agency, the recruitment system and whether to revoke the right to have weapons or firearms,” she said.

“We are also going to upgrade their understanding of human rights issues.”

Last year the Legal Aid Institute (LBH) sought a review of the public order law. The request was denied by the Supreme Court.