TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – Removal mural There was a lot of criticism against the government in the period July-August 2021. The Civil Service Police Unit or the Police repainted the walls that became the canvas for the street art and looked for the artists who made it.
Merespons serangkaian peristiwa ini, akun media sosial Gejayan Memanggil pun mengumumkan 'Lomba Mural Dibungkam'. Karya yang dihapus aparat akan mendapat penilaian lebih dalam sayembara yang berlangsung sejak 23 hingga 31 Agustus 2021 ini.
"Perlombaan ini respons terhadap situasi makin reaktifnya aparat saat ini," kata Humas Gejayan Memanggil yang meminta disebut sebagai Mimin Muralis, kepada Tempo pada Rabu malam, 25 Agustus 2021.
Mimin mengatakan, lomba ini menjadi ruang bagi masyarakat yang cemas dan marah dengan kebijakan pemerintah, khususnya dalam penanganan pandemi Covid-19 sekarang. Masyarakat, kata dia, berhak menyatakan ekspresi mereka atas persoalan yang dihadapi di tengah pagebluk ini.
Mimin also said that the authorities should not act arbitrarily in responding to the murals criticizing the government. He referred to the actions of the police looking for the mural maker, as happened to the mural maker Jokowi ‘404: Not Found’ and ‘God I’m Hungry’ in Tangerang, Banten.
The authorities were hunting for the ‘404: Not Found’ mural maker because it was deemed to contain insults to the national symbol. According to Mimin, this indicates the apparatus’ incomprehension of the law, because the president is not a symbol of the state. The article on insult is also a complaint offense and must be made by the person concerned.
“Besides not knowing the law, he is already authoritarian but doesn’t want to admit it,” said Mimin.
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