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Seized Gavel Causes Uproar in Kupang
Eras Poke | January 10, 2010

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Kupang. The gavel is normally a symbol of order but in East Nusa Tenggara’s capital, it has become the center of a political dispute.

Members of Kupang’s council of representatives are planning to sue the Kupang Police chief for confiscating their gavel on Friday, which police said was evidence in a heated dispute between two of the council’s members.

During the council’s first session in November, which discussed the establishment of council apparatus, council chairman Viktor Lerik and member Rudyanto Tonubessi had a falling out.

Tonubessi had interrupted Viktor, asking the council not to rush into establishing the auxiliary bodies because the latest regulations were yet to be issued on the organization of the council of representatives.

Viktor responded to the interruption by saying, “Don’t be such a know-it-all when you have the face of a hill monkey. There is no champion here. As long as I’m leading, all proposals will simply be noted.”

Rudyanto then responded by asking Viktor not to indulge in name-calling, to which Viktor again responded with harsh words while waving the gavel in Rudyanto’s direction.

After the session, Rudyanto reported the incident to the police.

As a result though, the police on Friday seized the gavel as evidence in the case of offensive behavior reported by Rudyanto.

But council deputies Frans Adrianus and Yeskiel Lodoe said on Saturday that the confiscation was against proper procedures, and the council was now planning to sue the Kupang Police chief. They claimed the gavel was taken by force and without permission from the council chair, an act the council found offensive.

Frans and Yeskiel confirmed that the police chief had written to the council to ask it to hand over the gavel because it was evidence in an ongoing case, but the council responded by asking the police to hold off.

“In our reply to the police, we asked that the seizure be postponed because the council is in session,” Frans said at Kupang’s city hall. “If [the gavel] is seized, how are we to hold a meeting? The council chairman’s gavel cannot easily be replaced.”

Frans said he could not comment on how the council would continue its sessions without the gavel, pending a council leadership meeting to discuss the issue today.

The chairman of the council of representatives’ honorary board in Kupang, Zeto Ratuarat, also weighed into the debate.

“As representatives of the people, we felt insulted, so we’ll file a lawsuit against the chief of police,” he said.

Council secretary Otniel Pello said he had refused to sign the writ of seizure when the police took the gavel, explaining that the council chairman was the only person with the authority to do so.

“When given the writ of seizure I said, ‘I’m sorry, but this is beyond my authority so I won’t sign it,’ ” Otniel said.