Arientha Primanita – The Jakarta governor and North Jakarta mayor must be held accountable for last month's riot in Koja that claimed four lives, the National Commission on Human Rights said on Wednesday.
The commission, known as Komnas HAM, made the announcement at the end of its monthlong investigation into the violence that erupted on April 14 when public order officers attempted to clear buildings from around the tomb of an 18th-century Muslim missionary located on disputed land.
Lead investigator Kabul Supriadi said four top officials were guilty of rights violations through their actions, or lack thereof. "These are the Jakarta governor and deputy governor, and the North Jakarta mayor and deputy mayor," he said.
The commission also blamed other officials for failing to stop abuses at the scene, including the heads of the Public Order Agency, Tanjung Priok Police and the North Jakarta Military Command, as well as Jakarta Police officials.
"We also found instances of individuals and local residents committing violence that resulted in death, personal injury and property damage," Kabul said.
In its investigation, focusing on the human rights aspects of the case, Komnas HAM questioned 19 people, including Governor Fauzi Bowo, and surveyed the scene of the riot, where four public order officers were killed.
Komnas HAM chairman Ifdhal Kasim said the commission would submit its findings to the governor, mayor, City Council, House of Representatives, home minister and president. "We didn't recommend any punishment for the offending parties, but we will monitor how the authorities follow up on our findings," he said.
Kabul blamed the riot on an intelligence breakdown, beginning with the security briefing at the start of the fateful day between the North Jakarta deputy mayor, the North Jakarta military commander, the Tanjung Priok Police chief and the Public Order Agency chief.
During the meeting, the military commander advised that the planned eviction proceed, saying the security forces were sufficient to disperse the "kids" guarding the tomb.
However, armed groups were congregating in the area in anticipation of the eviction. "This failure in the intelligence chain was one of the factors for the severity of the clash," Kabul said.
He also listed Komnas HAM's other findings. "First was the 2009 gubernatorial decree to clear the land, which was a major factor in the riot," Kabul said.
Second, he said, was the poor implementation of the decree by North Jakarta Mayor Bambang Sugiyono. "Third, the excessive use of force by the authorities exacerbated the situation on the ground, leading to the rioting."
Other findings included the unprofessional conduct of the 1,750 public order officers on the ground; the absence of the mayor during the eviction to coordinate efforts; the inordinate number of rights violations by the authorities and local residents; and the Jakarta Police's sluggishness in taking over security operations.
Komnas HAM has urged the city administration to ensure the victims and their families be compensated, and has called on the Ministry of Home Affairs to re-evaluate the Public Order Agency's conduct.
"The officers need to be educated on human rights and the agency needs to stop being repressive and institute a dialogue-based approach," Kabul said.
City spokesman Cucu Ahmad Kurnia welcomed the findings and said the administration would wait until two other teams had finished their investigations before studying and following up on them.
In addition to Komnas HAM, the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) and a fact-finding team from the City Council are running separate probes into the incident.
City councilor Andyka, who is also on the fact-finding team, welcomed Komnas HAM's findings. "The governor said at a plenary council meeting that he was responsible, politically, for the riot," he said. The council will conclude its own investigation next week, Andyka added.