HOUSE TO SUMMON MINISTER OVER REMISSIONS TO CORRUPTORS

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Aug 23 (ANTARA) - The House of Representatives (DPR) will soon ask for explanations from  Law and Human Rights Minister Patrialis Akbar about the government's decision to grant sentence  remissions to a number of convicted corruptors recently.          "The House will soon ask for clarifications from the minister  about the government's decision to grant remissions to certain convicted corruptors," Deputy House Speaker Pramono Anung said here on Monday.          The House deputy speaker was referring to the release of several high profile corruption convicts after they received sentence cuts in connection with Independence Day on August 17.          On August 18,  2010 Aulia Pohan, father-in-law of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's son and a former Bank Indonesia (BI or  central bank) deputy governor was granted  conditional freedom together with other BI deputies, namely Maman H Somantri, Bun Bunan Hutapea and Aslim Tajuddin.          Aulia was sentenced to four years and six months by the Corruption Crime Court (Tipikor) in a Rp100 million fraud case of the Indonesian Banking Development Foundation (YPPI)funds     "The government should be selective in giving sentence  remissions, particularly to  those who were involved in cases that  had drawn wide public attention," Pramono Anung said.          Therefore, the House of representatives (DPR) should soon ask for explanations from Law and Human Rights Minister Patrialis Akbar regarding the sentence reductions for corruptors.          According to Bambang Soesatyo of the House's Commission III on legal affairs, the remissions given to the convicted corruptors hurt the people's sense of justice. After all, the public could witness Aulia Pohan and friends having conditional freedom.          "The minister has explained the remissions a lot to the press but for Commission III the explanations are not yet enough. We need more detailed explanations about the remissions provided for each of the jailed corruptors," Bambang Soesatyo said.          He said that the public were questioning the government's seriousness in upholding the law in this country. The public trust had fallen into the lowest level.          "There is no need for the president's aides to cover it up if the president has a role in this case. The statement that the president did not interfere in the conditional freedom would not all at once eliminate the public's perception and assumption," he said.          He said that the remissions given by the government recently was an explicit injustice practice. Once injustice is practiced without shame, the government would have no right to expect public confidence in enforcing the law in this country.          "How could the people expect justice if they clearly practice injustice", he questioned. He said that the government's commitment to upholding the law was already dead due to its remissions for convicted corruptors.          Pramono Anung said that  the practice was a bad precedent for law enforcement in Indonesia. President Susilo Bambang Yudhohono himself  had declared war on corruption but now he has pardoned a big-time corruptor.          He said  it was the right of the law and human rights minister to give  the remissions but in many cases he should be selective. "This includes  businesswoman Artalyta Suryani or Ayin who received a two month sentence reduction for her "good conducts. This surprised the public," the former secretary general of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) said.          He also referred to the presidential pardon granted to former Kutai Kertanegara district head  Syaukani Hasan Rais,  which he said also constituted a bad precedent for legal enforcement.          "The pardon was given to a corruptor who we all know was sentenced for a case involving a huge  amount of money. The reason for the granting of the pardon is ill health, but we also know that there are many inmates whose health conditions are worse than that of Syaukani," he said.          On the sentence cut given to Aulia Pohan, Pramono said  the House also needed to question Minister Patrialis Akbar about it.          "It should be examined because why the remission could be six months as if there was an effort to make the remission in such a away that Aulia would be able to enjoy freedom. It has become a big question by the public, though the president has denied any role, why he got six months while those in other cases only got one month," he said.          Muhammadiyah Chairman Din Syamsuddin also advised the government not to give remissions or pardon to convicted corruptors. "The government must be sensitive to and consider its people's sufferings. Don't touch  the people's sense of justice," he said in response to the release of some convicted corruptors.          Providing convicted corruptors a remission or pardon was the president's prerogative right but he should also consider the  people's sensitivity, Syamsuddin said. Indonesian people had considered corruption as an extraordinary crime against the state and nation.          "At the moment, our people undergo such economic difficulties as skyrocketing prices of staple food," he said. A lot of ordinary Indonesians struggled for meeting their daily needs a head to the Eidul Fitri festivities in September, he said.***1*** (T.A014/A/HAJM/15:45/A/O001)23-08-2010 15:48:1