Jakarta – The government’s plan to form a national legal team to assess figures that violate the law following the April 17 presidential and legislative elections has attracted criticism. The election campaign of presidential ticket Prabowo Subianto and running mate Sandiaga Uno have objected to the proposal.

The plan was announced by Coordinating Minister for Security, Politics and Legal Affair (Menko Polhukam) Wiranto following a ministerial level limited coordinating meeting (rakortas). According to Wiranto, the legal team will assess all remarks, ideas and actions by figures that violate the law.

“One of the results of the meeting was that we will form a national legal team which will assess remarks, actions and ideas by certain figures, whoever they are, who clearly violate or break the law”, said Wiranto following the rakortas on “legal problems post the elections” at the Kemenko Polhukam office on Jl Medan Merdeka Barat in Central Jakarta on Monday May 6.

Wiranto said the team will be made up of a number of experts and claimed to have already summoned and started communicating with team members.

“And this team will be comprehensive, made up of experts on constitutional law, professors and doctors from various universities, I’ve already invited them, I’ve already spoken with them”, he continued.

Wiranto asserted that Indonesia is a legitimate state and he will not allow the country to be divided as a result of ideas which provoke the masses.

“And we all thought the same thing, that they cannot be allowed to undermine the legitimacy of the state”, said Wiranto.

He gave the example of defamation cases against President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo. He said that whoever violates the law will be subject to appropriate sanctions and will be dealt with firmly.

“Even distain, slurs against the president who is still the legitimate president until October this year [when the winner of the April 17 presidential election is inaugurated]. Laws already exist, sanctions exist, and we will use them, there will be sanctions, whoever they are we must act firmly”, he said.

[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was “Pemerintah Bentuk Tim Pengkaji Ucapan, BPN Keberatan”.]

Source: https://news.detik.com/berita/d-4538848/pemerintah-bentuk-tim-pengkaji-ucapan-bpn-keberatan