Understanding the Legal Framework
Now we come to the most intellectually embarrassing part. The fifth demand in the letter is emphatic: GAMPATA demands that the Aceh Regional Police "immediately fulfill their obligations as law enforcement officers to process allegations of corruption in the handling of the 2025 hydrometeorological disaster." It's clear. It's crystal clear. This is a matter of alleged corruption. This is the realm of law enforcement.
So to whom was the "study" document submitted? The Aceh Regional Police's Directorate of Security Intelligence (Dit Intelkam).
For GAMPATA, who may not have had the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the police organizational structure, Intelkam handles early threat detection, security, and security stability. It is not an investigative unit. It does not process criminal reports. If what is desired is law enforcement regarding allegations of corruption, then the correct address is the Sub-Directorate of Corruption Crimes within the Directorate of Special Criminal Investigations (Ditreskrimsus), a unit specifically established to investigate corruption.
A simple analogy would be: you don't take a person with a heart condition to the dentist and then throw a tantrum in front of the hospital because the patient wasn't treated properly. Unless, of course, the goal isn't to cure the victims, but to stir up trouble.
And herein lies the disturbing question: does GAMPATA truly seek law enforcement, or simply seek publicity? Because if their intentions are sincere, this kind of misdirection cannot be excused by ignorance. It's 2026. Google is still free.
Demands Stripped of the Law
Let's unpack their demands one by one, not with emotion, but with laws they themselves seem reluctant to read.
First, transparency in disaster implementation documents. The Unexpected Expenditure Fund (BTT) is regulated in Article 68 of Government Regulation Number 12 of 2019 concerning Regional Financial Management. The nature of accountability is ex post, after use, not in the midst of an emergency transitional period when mud is still submerging villages.
Accountability is submitted to the Regional Financial Report (LKPD), which is audited by the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK). The mechanism is clear: submit a request for information through the Aceh Information Commission in accordance with the Law on Public Information Disclosure. Not through fireworks and used tires.
Second, disclose the names of volunteers. The BPBA coordinates disaster volunteer recruitment in accordance with BNPB regulations. But more importantly, volunteers' personal data, such as names, identities, and contact information, is protected by Law Number 27 of 2022 concerning Personal Data Protection. Disclosing this data publicly without the data subject's consent potentially violates Articles 27 and 28 of the Personal Data Protection Law.
The irony is extraordinary: demanding transparency in a manner that is legally categorized as a violation of privacy. This is not activism; it is clearly zealous legal illiteracy. Furthermore, they may also be too lazy to read the BPBA's clarification, here's the link: https://www.ajnn.net/news/bpba-btt-rp-5-9-miliar-untuk-relawan-dibayar-non-tunai/index.html
Third, the planned use of Rp 1.6 trillion in Regional Funds (TKD). Transfers to regions are regulated through the Minister of Finance Regulation (PMK) and reported via the SIKD to the Ministry of Finance. Supervision is multi-level: the Regional People's Representative Council (DPRA), the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK), the Inspectorate, and even the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) if there are indications of criminal activity. These channels are available. The mechanism is constitutional. Demonstrations are not a substitute for the state budget oversight system; they complement it, and a good complement doesn't come empty-handed without data.
Fourth, and this is where the demands lose credibility. Among the demands regarding the BTT (Bandung Budget), TKD (Targeted Funds), and alleged corruption—serious issues concerning the public interest after the disaster—GAMPATA shamelessly slipped in a demand that "the Aceh Regional Secretary clarify the issue of unregistered marriages."
Stop for a moment. Reread. An organization claiming to defend the people of Aceh after the 2025 hydrometeorological disaster, and championing the slogans of transparency and anti-corruption, felt the need to demand that a public official explain his personal life. In the same letter. In the same forum, with the same crowd.[]
Continued in part 3
