February 21, 2025 | 02:38 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights Association (PBHI) has suspected a pattern reminiscent of the New Order regime in the withdrawal of the song "Bayar Bayar Bayar" which criticizes the police by the band Sukatani.
PBHI chairperson, Julius Ibrani, believes that there is a strong possibility that members of the National Police intimidated and forced the band to apologize for their song.
"PBHI recalls that the restriction and suppression of freedom of artistic expression is a characteristic of the authoritarian New Order regime," said Julius in a written statement on Friday, February 21, 2025.
According to their assessment, the alleged intimidation carried out by the police against Sukatani violates the guarantee of freedom of expression, in this case through art.
PBHI considers this action to violate Article 28E paragraph (2) and (3) of the 1945 Constitution, Article 23 paragraph (2) of Law Number 39 of 1999 concerning Human Rights, as well as Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).
Furthermore, PBHI considers the alleged intimidation of Sukatani to be categorized as a systematic and structured violation of human rights.
"There is a state element as the perpetrator, namely the police, where the police are part of the state's defense and security function and are under the structure and instructions of the President," said Julius.
On the other hand, the police denied instructing Sukatani to pull their song "Bayar Bayar Bayar" from streaming platforms and social media. Head of the Public Relations Bureau of the National Police, Brigadier General Trunoyudo Wisnu Andiko, stated that the police never ordered such a thing.
"The commitment and consistency. The police continue to strive to be a modern organization, namely the Police is Not Anti-Criticism," Trunoyudo told Tempo via a written message on Thursday, February 20, 2025.
Previously, the punk band Sukatani from Purbalingga announced the withdrawal of the song "Bayar Bayar Bayar" from all music streaming platforms. This song, featured on their album "Gelap Gempita," contained pointed criticism of the police.
The announcement of the song's withdrawal was made on their social media account @sukatani.band on Thursday, February 20, 2025. In the post, two Sukatani members, Muhammad Syifa Al Lufti (guitarist) and Novi Citra Indriyati (vocalist), offered their apologies to the National Police Chief (Kapolri) and the police institution.
They appeared without the masks they typically wore, something they had never done before. Sukatani members chose to maintain anonymity in public. In their statement, they explained that the song was intended as a critique of police officers who engage in regulatory violations.
Nandito Putra contributed to the writing of this article.
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