Once again, Rocky Gerung took a controversial action and this time went too far because he openly insulted President Jokowi. His remarks have exceeded the norms and values that apply in society, especially since the video recording of these hate speeches has spread in society. Rocky Gerung should be jailed to realize his mistake.
Rocky Gerung is a controversial figure who has been known to be outspoken and is often invited to be a speaker, especially at political events. He positioned himself as an oppositionist and was very critical in voicing his opinion. However, the public was surprised that Rocky Gerung criticized President Jokowi with inappropriate names.
After the video insulting the president spread, people were angry because Rocky Gerung was considered to have crossed the line. Many want Rocky to be jailed, because he did make a very fatal mistake.
One of the people who reported Rocky Gerung was politician Ferdinand Hutahean. According to Ferdinand, Rocky violated the ITE Law Articles 28 and 45. The penalty is 6 years in prison and/or a fine of IDR 1 billion.
Rocky Gerung could be implicated in the ITE Law because there was a video recording of him insulting President Jokowi, and it was spread on the internet. The ITE Law regulates procedures for social media and cyberspace. Rocky blatantly insults and causes havoc on social media.
When Rocky’s statement is made, it will provoke netizens to participate in hate speech. As a result, the situation on social media became heated. Even though this is very dangerous because it can make many other people who are also implicated in the ITE Law.
Therefore, the community supports Rocky Gerung’s immediate imprisonment because it could trigger other people to carry out hate speech as well, and create chaos in the virtual world. Do not let him walk freely without any sanctions, because it will have a bad impact on society. His negative remarks can be contagious and toxic, and affect the thinking of the Indonesian people.
Then, the second person who reported Rocky Gerung was Irma Chaniago. According to Irma, Rocky should be jailed for teaching political stupidity to the public and students. In a sense, the figure of Rocky, who is often invited to student discussion events, is very dangerous because he can spread hatred against President Jokowi. Don’t let students become poisoned by Rocky’s mind.
Students should be trained to be independent, entrepreneurship, and think critically. However, Rocky should have realized that being critical is not the same as insulting. If Rocky is not jailed immediately, it is feared that the students will join in in uttering hate speech and acting anarchistically towards the government. All this because of provocation from Rocky.
Meanwhile, criminal law expert Abdul Fickar stated that legal proceedings against Rocky Gerung could be carried out. Rocky can be subject to Article 137 of the Criminal Code regarding insulting the head of state, and the sentence is imprisonment for 1 year and 6 months.
The many reports from community leaders against Rocky Gerung show that he has crossed the line. How can someone who was once a lecturer, even utter hate speech and inappropriate words? The knowledge that he has should have been the capital to be polite, but Rocky insulted him at will.
Rocky Gerung should remember the saying ‘your mouth is your tiger’. The harsh criticism and insults he uttered could land him in prison.
However, Rocky Gerung denied that he had insulted him. According to him, what he said was criticism. Rocky had disagreed with several policies carried out by the government, therefore he remained in the opposition.
However, the public was still angry because the criticism given by Rocky was harsh, destructive criticism, not constructive criticism. Rocky’s words are not a criticism capable of educating the public to ask for improvements in government programs. However, Rocky was clearly insulting, because the words he chose were very harsh.
Moreover, what was said by Rocky were words that were very inappropriate and did not match the facts. All Indonesian people understand how President Jokowi works, and he continues to work hard for the progress of Indonesia. However, this is not considered by Rocky Gerung, as if what President Jokowi is doing is always wrong.
Rocky Gerung is just waiting to be tried and put in jail. As an oppositionist he could have thought of his criticism as a way to provide input. However, it was clear that what he said was not criticism, but insults.
If you don’t like government policies, what should be criticized is the program. However, Rocky personally insulted and attacked President Jokowi. Therefore, the community agreed that he should be tried. When Rocky Gerung made hate speech against President Jokowi, the people were automatically furious. They do not accept when someone insults the head of state. Rocky Gerung must be tried and held accountable for his mistakes in prison, because he had crossed the line.
