by: Ahmad Sidrajat, FISIP Student at Andalas University
Rocky Gerung once again returned to viral in the mass media. After a break a few weeks ago, he again appeared on the ILC TV One talk show on Tuesday night. This time, Rocky Gerung again criticized the Jokowi government through the discourse of the release of terrorist prisoner Abu Bakar Baasyir as material. This political observer considers the polemic of the liberation of Ustadz Abu Bakar Ba’asyir to be a product of the chaos and chaos of the current regime. He also gave a saying “too many cooks spoil the broth” which means too many cooks, making the soup spill out messy. So according to him, President Jokowi who also took part in saying Abu Bakar Ba’asyir was free also did hoaxes, or made false news.
Though the news is not a hoax or a lie, but the government still follows the prevailing legal mechanism in Indonesia to decide the release of Abu Bakar Ba’asyir. Deputy Chairperson of the National Campaign Team (TKN) Jokowi-Ma’ruf as well as Head of the Presidential Staff Office, Moeldoko, denied the conditional release of terrorism convict Abu Bakar Ba’asyir by President Jokowi to gain votes ahead of the 2019 presidential election. Ba’asyir and the presidential election are not related. Ba’asyir was able to be free on parole for serving two-thirds of his sentence after being sentenced to 15 years in prison by the South Jakarta District Court in 2011, but with certain conditions that must be met.
Ba’asyir’s family has requested that the government release him, because his health condition has deteriorated and his old age is considered. On the other hand, Jokowi understood the condition of Baasyir who was 81 years old and was vulnerable to illness. This condition will also be used by the government as a consideration if Ba’asyir applies for parole.
President Jokowi said that if Abu Bakar Ba’asyir would be free then his nature was conditional free, not free.
In addition, the government opened the door for Ba’asyir if he wanted to file a pardon with the President. Because the Government simply cannot arbitrarily release Ba’asyir. Of course there are requirements that must be fulfilled and consider legal factors such as (statement) loyalty to Pancasila, the 1945 Constitution, and NKRI. However, as is known, Ba’asyir was reluctant to make a written statement about loyalty to the Republic of Indonesia, Pancasila, and the 1945 Constitution. Because one key was that the state had said there was nothing that could be negotiated with the Republic of Indonesia and the Pancasila. If the requirements are not approved, then the release plan is canceled.
The polemic for the release of Abu Bakar Ba’asyir has nothing to do with Jokowi’s electability as presidential candidate in the 2019 presidential election. The release proposed to Ba’asyir is purely a matter of principle regarding the nation’s ideology.
It has become Rocky’s habit to comment on and criticize the current government. Even though in the previous era, he never showed off to give his response regarding the government’s program at that time. Because it was very clear that he was one of the supporters of Paslon number 02. What’s more, his skill in playing words so that the issue of hoaks for the release of Abu Bakar Ba’asyir by the President could be lifted as a weapon against Jokowi. So that the public must be aware and literate of the prevailing government system so that it is not consumed by the words of the government’s opposition.