Responding to the president who stated that he would sort out (menerbitkan) observers who were unpatriotic and do not like the success of his government, Amnesty International Indonesia Executive Director Usman Hamid, said:
"We condemn President Prabowo's statement threatening to 'sort out' government critics because they are considered 'unpatriotic'. This is clearly a wrong way of thinking as if criticism is chaos that must be sorted out.
This attitude of anti-criticism needs to be corrected because it could injure freedom of opinion. The use of intelligence agencies to monitor criticism is also an abuse of power that threatens free speech.
Intelligence agencies should focus on reporting early detection material to prevent national security threats to the president in accordance with Law Number 17/2011 on State Intelligence. Intelligence is not a tool for monitoring observers or civil society who are critical of the government.
It would be better for the president to show sympathy for critics who have experienced terror and intimidation, including the acid attack on Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) activist Andrie Yunus. The president also needs to provide direction and full support to the police who have just released the results of the initial investigation today (March 16).
As of the fourth day since the attack, no suspect had yet been identified or detained by the police. Therefore, direction and support from the president, the House of Representatives (DPR) and the public is needed so that the police can quickly arrest the perpetrators.
"The president needs to end the labelling of critics as 'unpatriotic' or 'foreign stooges' because it is dangerous, especially if accompanied by intelligence surveillance."
This evokes the trauma of repression during the authoritarian New Order era [of former president Suharto]. In the past, the authorities used the diction 'clobber' towards mass media leaders under the pretext of 'regulating the implementation of the constitution'.
This 'sort out' diction directly infringes on citizens' constitutional right to freedom of opinion and expression which are also expressly guaranteed by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) which Indonesia has ratified.
What is of even more concern is that this threatening statement was made right in the midst of a terror attack that enveloped civil society. Just a few hours earlier, at midnight on March 12, Andrie Yunus, an activist who has consistently defended victims of human rights violations, was the target of an assassination attempt by an unknown group of people using an acid attack, allegedly a strong corrosive chemical, on the victim's face and body.
Moreover, the victim now has third degree serious injuries to the right eye due to exposure to chemicals and 24 percent burns to the right side of the face, torso and both upper limbs.
In this fragile situation, the president's rhetoric is very dangerous because it can be misinterpreted by authorities on the ground as legitimising repression against human rights defenders and citizens who speak out critically against the government.
Therefore, the president must immediately clarify the meaning of the diction 'to sort out'. The president and his staff must stop all forms of verbal intimidation that are prone to triggering human rights violations and ensure a safe space for civil liberties. Remember, this country was not built on threats and silence, but on protecting the basic rights of citizens, including the right to express opinions."
Background
According to media reports, President Prabowo Subianto, when chairing a cabinet meeting in Jakarta on Friday March 13, said that he would sort out observers who did not like the success of his government and were not patriotic.
The president claimed that he had intelligence data about observers who frequently criticised him, including knowing all the motives behind the criticism and who exactly is supporting these critics.
He suspects that the observers' attitude arose as a result of encouragement from other parties who felt defeated, have no power or were threatened with his administrations good fortune.
The president's statement was made after Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa reported that the national economic condition was good and asked the president not to worry about the analysis by observers on social media who say the national economic condition is deteriorating.
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Ancaman 'tertibkan' pengamat dari Presiden bahayakan kebebasan sipil".]
