JAKARTA (Yosefardi) – The National Police’s Criminal Investigation Division (Bareskrim POLRI) will follow up the report filed by a volunteer group that supporting the Governor of Jakarta Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama regarding allegation of hate speech made by Yusron Ihza Mahendra, an Indonesian Ambassador for Japan and younger brother of Ahok’s rival Yusril Ihza Mahendra.
The Spokesperson of the National Police Brig. Gen. Agus Rianto told the press that the dossier of the case has been handed over to the Police’s investigator. Agus, however, didn’t revealed about when the Police will summon witnesses to the case, including Yusron, for questioning.
Yusron, through his personal Twitter account @YusronIhza_Mhd, posted a couple of tweets that contained sensitive racial, religious, and ethnic (SARA) issues against Ahok. Yusron said Ahok’s leadership characteristics have a potential of endangering other Tionghoa descents in the grassroot should there a riot in the future. Yusron’s older brother, Yusril Ihza Mahendra, want to run in the 2017 Jakarta gubernatorial election to challenge Ahok.
Ahok himself has delivered his protest to Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno LP Marsudi over Yusron’s tweets. While the netizens have launched an online petition in order to urge President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo to sack Yusron. (haryantosuharman@yosefardi.