Yustinus Paat, Jakarta – A police officer in East Nusa Tenggara was dishonorably discharged after being caught having a karaoke party with three colleagues during work hours. However, the decision has drawn the attention of lawmakers, who have summoned the local police chief to reconsider the dismissal.
The discharge of 2nd Inspector Rudy Soik caught the eye of members of the House of Representatives' Legal Committee after reports surfaced that Rudy had been leading a covert operation against illegal fuel distribution syndicates in the province.
Despite the concerns raised, East Nusa Tenggara Police Chief Insp. Gen. Daniel Tahi Monang Silitonga insisted that Rudy's dismissal was unrelated to his work on the illegal fuel distribution case. He explained that Rudy was found guilty of serious ethics violations, and his three colleagues involved in the same incident had already admitted their wrongdoing.
Rudy and his fellow officers, who served with the Kupang District Police, were arrested by the police's internal disciplinary unit for being absent without official leave and spending time at a karaoke bar, where they were drinking alcohol during work hours. This was revealed by Daniel during a hearing with the House committee at the parliament complex in Jakarta.
While Rudy's three colleagues accepted the disciplinary sanctions, which included seven days of administrative duty, Rudy objected to the charges and filed an appeal, according to Daniel.
"The ethics tribunal found that [Rudy] provided arguments irrelevant to the charges. He was uncooperative and repeatedly denied all the allegations," Daniel said.
During the proceedings, Rudy had requested permission from the Kupang police chief to investigate the illegal fuel syndicate. Rudy defended his actions by claiming that the karaoke venue was actually a "safe house" for his investigative team and accused the officers who arrested him of accepting bribes from the fuel syndicate.
As a result, Rudy received a dishonorable discharge, but he has since filed an appeal. Until the appeal process is complete, he remains a member of the police force, Daniel said.
Notably, Rudy had previously been praised for exposing a human smuggling syndicate in East Nusa Tenggara.
Rudy attended the hearing himself, expressing respect for the provincial police chief. "The police chief is a good man, but perhaps he was misled by false information about me," Rudy said.