Under the Wheels of Power: Police, Law, and a Sense of Justice for Ojol Victims

Budi Harianto

Contributor

29 Aug 2025 · 17:32 29 August 2025 17:32 WIB 5 minutes reading time: 5 minutes 78 read

An ojol driver was hit by a police car during a demonstration at the DPR. The law must not stop at the article, but must answer the people's sense of justice.

Under the Wheels of Power: Police, Law, and a Sense of Justice for Ojol Victims

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Table of Contents

The Law Must Be Upheld
A Wounded Sense of Justice
Law and a Sense of Justice
Closing

Section 2/3: A Wounded Sense of Justice

A Wounded Sense of Justice

But law alone is not enough. What is more serious is the wound to the public's sense of justice. So far, the public often sees the law as sharp downwards, but blunt upwards. A petty thief can be severely punished, while violations by officials or officials often end with impunity. The incident of the ojol driver being hit immediately became a symbol of that inequality.

The public demands not only a legal process, but also a moral attitude. Are the police apparatus and institutions willing to apologize openly? Do the victim's family receive compensation and protection? Will security procedures for actions be improved so that similar cases do not happen again?

This is where the concept of restorative justice becomes important. Justice does not only mean punishing the perpetrator, but also restoring the victim, family, and society. This restoration cannot stop at material compensation, but also at the recognition that there has been a violation of the people's rights.

Furthermore, this incident also hurts democracy. Demonstrations are a constitutional right, guaranteed by Article 28E of the 1945 Constitution. When a demonstrator becomes a victim of the apparatus that should be protecting them, the public feels that not only is their voice ignored, but also their body is unsafe in the democratic space. This is dangerous, because democracy can only live if the people feel safe to express their opinions.