Jakarta – Bali Police are set to summon the spokesman of the hardline Islamic Defenders Front, or FPI, for questioning after reports of alleged defamation against the province's traditional security guards, known locally as pecalang.
The report was filed by dozens of local mass organizations, including the Sandi Murti Foundation, Ansor Youth Group, Bali Nahdlatul Ulama and Patriot Garuda Nusantara, against FPI spokesman Munarman at the Bali Police headquarters in Denpasar on Monday (16/01).
Bali Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Adj. Hengky Widjaja confirmed that the case is proceeding, with investigators questioning several witnesses, including I Gusti Agung Ngurah Harta of the Sandi Murti Foundation. "Investigators are still questioning witnesses at this stage," Hengky said on Wednesday.
The police will also question several expert witnesses to determine whether the case will enter the investigation phase.
"The plan is to question Imam Bukhori [of Gerakan Pemuda Ansor]. We will also question expert witnesses and [television network] Kompas in Jakarta," he added.
Santi Murti Foundation founder Ngurah Harta alleged that Munarman had lied when he told Kompas TV representatives that pecalang were used in Bali to attack homes of Muslim residents and prohibit them from performing their Friday prayers. Harta maintained that the relationship between Bali's Hindu and Muslim populations has been respectful and cooperative for decades.
Meanwhile, Hengky rejected Munarman's arguments in protest of the locus delicti, or crime scene, which is located in Jakarta, stating that the case is still valid in the Bali Police's jurisdiction because the video went viral and can be viewed by all Indonesians, regardless of where they are.
Plaintiffs also submitted the YouTube video titled "FPI Meets and Reprimands Kompas TV over Anti-Shariah News Framing" to police. The Bali Police cybercrime unit is currently handling the investigation, with Munarman's questioning expected to conclude by Jan. 25.