February 25, 2025
JAKARTA – The Central Java Police have launched an internal investigation into six officers for allegedly intimidating members of Purbalingga punk band Sukatani to force them to retract their viral song “Bayar, Bayar, Bayar” (pay, pay, pay), which criticizes corrupt police officers.
“The officers are currently being questioned by investigators from the Internal Affairs Division [Propam]. We will share the results of the investigation with the public once it is complete,” Central Java Police spokesperson Sr. Comr. Artanto said on Sunday, as reported by Kompas.
Artanto said the investigation had been initiated in response to a public complaint alleging that the officers had committed an ethics violation and had abused their power during a meeting with members of Sukatani last week.
On Thursday, several officers from the Central Java Police’s cybercrime division met with Sukatani members in Banyuwangi, East Java, to seek “clarification” on the song, which contains lines that translate to, “Lost something? Pay the police! Want to become a cop? Pay the police! Want to commit corruption? Pay the police!”
Shortly after the meeting, the duo posted a video on their Instagram account apologizing to National Police Chief Gen. Listyo Sigit Prabowo and other officials for their song. They also announced that they had removed the song from all digital platforms and urged the public to delete any recordings of “Bayar, Bayar, Bayar”.
In the video, the band’s producer and guitarist Muhammad Syifa Al Ufti, along with vocalist Novi Citra Indriyato, revealed their faces and real names. The punk band is known for wearing full face masks and performing under the stage names Alectroguy and Twister Angel.
Backlash
After the apology video was posted, Novi was dismissed from her day job as a teacher at an Islamic elementary school in the neighboring regency of Banjarnegara. The school’s headmistress claimed that Novi had been fired for violating the school’s code of ethics by exposing parts of her body in violation of Islamic law.
The incident attracted widespread public attention, with artists and netizens expressing their support for the band on social media using the hashtag #KamiBersamaSukatani (we are with Sukatani), often accompanied by the slogan “ACAB”, which stands for “all cops are bastards”.
Internet users also accused the police of intimidating the band members into revealing their identities and removing “Bayar, Bayar, Bayar” from music streaming services.
The song was chanted at various protests, such as the Kamisan silent protest in Jakarta and the Indonesia Gelap (Dark Indonesia) rallies in the capital city and other regions protesting recent policies from President Prabowo Subianto and his administration.
Unidentified groups of people vandalized several government buildings in Purbalingga, including the police station and the Regional Representative Council (DPRD) building. They sprayed, in red and black paint, the letter “A” in a circle, a symbol for anarchism, as well as phrases such as “MERAH #SUKATANI” (red #sukatani).
Artanto of the Central Java Police denied the accusations that the policed officers had intimidated the band members, insisting that the police had met with them for “a casual conversation” and that the officers had carried out their duties in a “professional manner”.
However, the director of the Semarang Legal Aid Institute (LBH Semarang), Ahmad Syamsuddin Arief, expressed skepticism about these claims, suggesting it was unlikely the band would voluntarily reveal their identities and retract their song from streaming platforms without any external pressure.
“Rather than the Central Java Police, we urge the National Police headquarters to conduct the investigation to prevent any potential conflict of interest. If the officers are found to have intimidated the band, they must face appropriate sanctions for violating the band’s right to free expression,” he said.
Barrage of support
On Friday, Police Chief Listyo described the apology video as a “miscommunication” and stressed that the National Police were not “anti-criticism”.
He also announced plans to offer Sukatani the role of “police ambassadors”, allowing them to represent the public in criticizing and evaluating corrupt officers.
“This is part of our commitment to transforming the police force into an institution that can fully accept and respond to criticism, so that we can continue improving. Criticism is how the public shows their love for the National Police,” he said on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Purbalingga Regent Fahmi Muhammad Hanif announced in a video posted on his Instagram account on Saturday that the regency administration would assist Novi in finding a new teaching job within the regency.
“We will welcome you with open arms if you choose to teach at a school in Purbalingga,” he said.