Surabaya – A Reset Indonesia book discussion and review that was to be held in Madiun, East Java, was closed down by the authorities on Saturday night December 20. The organisers said that the closure occurred despite having previously notified police of the event.
The event took place at Pundensari Market in Gunungsari Village in Madiun. Several participants who had just arrived were asked to go home, while dozens of others who had already gathered were asked to disperse before the discussion began.
The head of the discussion organising committee, Gizzatara, said the closure occurred when preparations for the event were nearly complete. He claimed that representatives from the sub-district government and police officers approached them demanding the event be cancelled.
"We had already submitted a notification letter of the event with the police before the event. However, the intervention still occurred", said Gizzatara on Monday December 22.
According to Gizzatara, the authorities also told them that one of the book's authors was not allowed to be present – Dandhy Laksono as the keynote speaker. The organising committee deemed this to be excessive.
"We deplore the authorities' excessive behaviour. This was purely a discussion and book review, without any practical or provocative political agenda", he said.
"This was just a book dissertation. Its contents offered ideas for a better Indonesia. It's truly unfortunate that an event like this was closed down", Gizzatara added.
The book Reset Indonesia is a collective work by the New Indonesia Team and was written by four journalists: Farid Gaban, Dandhy Laksono, Yusuf Priambodo and Benaya Harobu.
Laksono said the event in Madiun was the first one to be closed down and was part of a series of discussions that have been held in dozens of cities.
"This is the first time a Reset Indonesia discussion has been closed down. On behalf of the authors, I would like to express my gratitude to the committee for their maximum efforts", said Laksono.
He believes the closure of the dissertation and book review actually strengthens the rationale for writing Reset Indonesia.
"The situation tonight is exactly what we discuss in the book. This is why Indonesia needs a reset", he said.
Meanwhile, Nglames Sectoral Police Chief Deputy Police Commissioner Gunawan confirmed that the organising committee had notified police about the event. However, he claimed there was a discrepancy in the timetable.
"There was a notification but it was in PDF format, sent via text message, that same afternoon. But the date didn't match", said Gunawan.
Gunawan claimed he was not present at the location at the time of the incident because he was attending another event. He said he had asked his staff to monitor the event to ensure that it proceeded safely.
"I asked them to go to the location to monitor the event so it could run safely and smoothly. We had actually coordinated with the committee to end the event at 10 pm", he said.
He suspects the sub-district or village government had stopped the event believing that it didn't have a permit. Gunawan emphasised however that the police acted persuasively.
"For our part we were clearly persuasive. There were local residents gathering, and it was our duty to secure the event", he said.
Gunawan emphasised that the police remain obligated to provide security for community activities, regardless of whether a permit or notification is required.
"If an event attracts a crowd, we are obligated to secure the event", he concluded. (frd/gil)
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Diskusi Buku Reset Indonesia Dibubarkan Aparat, Polisi Buka Suara".]
