Civil lawsuit Number 03/BAKUMHAM-OTDA/GOLKAR-NTB/I/2014 was filed by the Golkar West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) Regional Leadership Council (DPD) through their attorneys to the Mataram District Court after refusing to provide the information requested by Suhardi.
Suhardi was sued to provide compensation of one billion Rupiah. It was also stated that Suhardi’s request for information was a sponsor’s order to drop the name of DPD Golkar NTB.
Law No. 14 of 2008 concerning Public Information Disclosure (UU KIP) guarantees the right of all Indonesian citizens to enjoy their right to public information. UU KIP also mandates the obligation of public bodies to provide public information to citizens whether requested or not.
Political parties as referred to in the UU KIP are public bodies that are obliged to provide public information under their control, even specifically the UU KIP regulates what information political parties must provide.
In the recent experience in NTB, requests for information from civil society in order to encourage political party accountability were accused of being orders from sponsors to undermine the image and authority of political parties. The trial process by the NTB Information Commission was accused of being a form of malpractice. Even further, the DPD Golkar NTB sued the information applicant and the NTB Information Commission (KI) and the Central Information Commission with compensation of ONE BILLION RUPIAH because the three parties were deemed to have caused material and immaterial losses because the party’s pride had been trampled. In fact, the information requested is public information that must be provided by political parties as regulated in UU KIP. The actions of the DPD Golkar NTB management show how the DPD Golkar NTB does not support the realization of transparency and accountability, especially when responding to requests for public information made by the public.
Freedom of Information Network Indonesia (FOINI) as a coalition that cares about the promotion of rights and freedom of information, one of which is through the promotion of public information disclosure considers that:
First, the action taken by DPD Golkar NTB is a form of closure;
Second, the claim by the DPD Golkar NTB to the wrong address and the Mataram District Court must reject it;
Third, the decision of the NTB Information Commission is correct and must be obeyed and confirmed in a higher court;
Fourth, the demands for compensation requested by the DPD Golkar NTB through their attorneys are intimidation and extortion of citizens;
Fifth, the accusation in the lawsuit that the information requested was a SPONSOR’S ORDER is defamation;
Sixth, the allegations of trial malpractice by the NTB KI are a form of contempt for quasi-state institutions.
We declare :
- The FOINI Coalition urges all Indonesian citizens not to be afraid of moral and material intimidation of information applicants as was done by the DPD Golkar NTB.
- FOINI condemns all forms of slander on requests for public information from public bodies.
- DPD Golkar must publicly apologize to the party slandered.
- FOINI invites all Indonesian citizens to give social sanctions to political parties that do not support transparency and accountability by not providing support and voice to political parties that are closed and anti-open.
Jakarta January 24, 2014
FOINI COALITION
(PATTIRO, ICW, ICEL, TII, IPC, MEDIALINK, FITRA, YAPPIKA, PSHK, KONTRAS, Pusako Unand, KOAK Lampung, PATTIRO Serang, Inisiatif Bandung, PATTIRO Semarang, Titian, Laskar Batang, KRPK Blitar, SLOKA Bali, SOMASI NTB, PIAR NTT, KOPEL Makassar, SKPKC Papua, MaTa Aceh, Gerak Aceh, FITRA Riau, Gemawan, JARI Kalteng, LPI PBJ Banjar Baru, TIFA Damai, SBMI)
