JAKARTA. The Jakarta Police questioned on Tuesday Yusri Isnaeni, a Jakarta resident, in regard to her claim that Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama defamed her when she reported to Ahok her difficulty in using the Jakarta Smart Card (KJP) to buy school items for her child.
The KJP is issued by the Jakarta city administration to needy students who need financial assistance.
“We just questioned a witness [Yusri]. It is part of an investigation,” said Sr. Comr. Krishna Murti of the Jakarta Police crimes division in Jakarta on Tuesday as reported by kompas.com.
Yusri, who was accompanied by her lawyers, arrived at the Jakarta Police headquarters at 11:30 a.m. Yusri said her statement would be included in the dossier on the slander charges against the governor.
Yusri reported Ahok to the police on Dec. 16. The case started when Yusri sought an explanation from Ahok about the use of the KJP to buy a school uniform. She said shopkeepers gave various reasons for not wanting to serve her when she tried used the card for purchases.
She was advised by people to withdraw funds using the card so that she could pay cash for a school uniform for her child, and she said that was why she had sought an explanation from Ahok when she visited City Hall recently. However, Ahok reportedly responded by accusing her of being a thief. “I cannot accept being shamed in public,” Yusri said.
After questioning Yusri and other witnesses, Krishna said, police investigators will consult language experts about the slander claim. “We need to determine if there is an element of slander in the case. It will be experts who decide,” said Krishna.
Language experts will analyze what words Ahok used, how the words were delivered and what was the context when the dialogue occurred. Krishna said that before consulting language experts, the police would question Yusri and other witnesses.
Krishna also police investigators were also considering questioning Ahok. “We may summon Pak Ahok. He will turn up because he understands the law,” he added.
