Herman Hery, a member of the House of Representatives (DPR) from the PDI-P party, has been accused of assaulting a couple in Jakarta over a dispute on the road.
The accuser, Ronny Yuniarto Kosasih, gave his version of events through his lawyer, Febby Sagita, today. Ronny says that he was driving his family on Jalan Arteri Pondok Indah on the evening of June 10 when their car was stopped by police officers for driving in the restricted Busway lane. Herman’s car, a Rolls Royce, which was also being illegally driven in the Busway lane, stopped right behind Ronny’s.
Ronny then complained to the officers and asked them why they were not ticketing Herman for the same offense. Herman and his two aides did not appreciate Ronny’s complaint.
“Not long after out of the car came Herman and his aides, and he arrogantly said, ‘what do you want?’ and put his hands on the victim’s face,” Febby said, as quoted by Detik today.
Ronny then tried to fight back, but Herman and his aides overpowered him, knocking him down on the ground.
“And then the victim’s wife got out of the car to stop the fight, but she got hit as well. In the car there was a babysitter and the victim’s [two] children,” Febby said.
Febby added that the police officers at the scene did not attempt to stop the scuffle and that the fight was broken up by bystanders.
Ronny reported the incident to the South Jakarta Police on June 11 and has had his and his wife’s unspecified injuries noted by a medical examiner.
Since the ratification of the controversial UU MD3 bill in March, police investigations into criminal cases involving lawmakers in Indonesia have to be approved by a legislative body’s Ethics Council (MKD). The DPR’s MKD have already signaled that they will work closely with the police on this case and that Herman could be fired from parliament if proven guilty in addition to potential criminal sanctions.
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