Whoever they are, and whatever their positions are, the law should be enforced indiscriminatelyJakarta (ANTARA) - A legislator urged the police to act sternly against People's Conscience Party (Hanura) politician Ambroncius Nababan over his racist remark on a noted Papuan human rights defender to prevent recurrence of sectarian violence in Papua.
"Such racist behavior is absolutely intolerable," Deputy Chairman of the House of Representatives' (DPR's) Commission III Overseeing Legal Affairs, Ahmad Sahroni, stated here on Tuesday.
Indonesia's National Police must take stringent action against those exhibiting racist behavior.
"Whoever they are, and whatever their positions are, the law should be enforced indiscriminately," Sahroni emphasized.
He denounced Nababan's racist remark directed at Natalius Pigai, former commissioner of the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM), as his behavior had breached the fundamental values of the state ideology of Pancasila and unity in diversity.
Indonesia's National Police has taken over the probe into the case that has fueled public uproar, according to National Police Spokesman Insp. Gen. Raden Prabowo Argo Yuwono.
Local media reports revealed earlier that the West Papua police had received a request from Chairman of the Indonesian Youth National Committee (KNPI)-West Papua Chapter Sius Dowansiba on Monday for investigating the case.
Meanwhile, Nababan disclosed to CNN Indonesia the reason behind him posting the photos of Pigai, a former commissioner of Indonesia's National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM), and a gorilla in his Facebook account.
Nababan, coincidently also general chairman of the Pro-Jokowi-Amin Volunteers (Projamin), was quoted by CNN Indonesia on Monday as saying that he did so to respond to Pigai's statement containing his rejection to China's Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine.
As a volunteer of incumbent President Joko Widodo, Nababan voiced his discontent over Pigai's statement, according to CNN Indonesia.
In response to Nababan's racist remark, Pigai wrote a statement on his Twitter account @NataliusPigai2 directed to Lloyd Austin, a retired army general, on US President Joe Biden having appointed him to be his defense secretary.
Austin is the first African American to hold the top Pentagon position in the US history.
"I am proud of you, mr@LloydAustin, black African American most powerful gentleman in the world. We have been on fire against Indonesian Collective (state) Racism to black African Melanesian (Papuan) for more than 50 years. Torture, killing & slow motion genocide. We need attention," Pigai wrote.
In August and September 2019, Papua and West Papua had come under the radar of both Indonesian and foreign media after a spate of sectarian violence erupted in several parts of these two Indonesian provinces.
On August 28, 2019, violence erupted in Deiyai District, some 500 kilometers away from Jayapura, resulting in the deaths of an army soldier and two civilians.
The indigenous Papuan residents of Jayapura again held protests on August 29, 2019, as they vented their ire over the alleged racist behavior against their Papuan compatriots in Surabaya, but their rally then took a violent turn.
On September 23, 2019, a deadly riot had erupted in Wamena, the capital city of Jayawijaya District, Papua Province, killing 33 civilians, including a senior medical doctor, who had served the native Papuans for 15 years.
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Related news: National police investigate case of Nababan's alleged racist remark
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Translator: Imam B, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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