A new game in town<\/p>\n
A new game started being played out as soon as Tommy
\nSoeharto's year-long hide-and-seek caper came to an end on
\nWednesday. We don't know its name yet, but the circumstances of
\nTommy's arrest and its announcement by the police all suggest
\nthat this is just the beginning of yet another game.<\/p>\n
Since we do not know the name of the game, we cannot predict
\nits outcome. Ideally, justice should be the only game in town.
\nYet, somehow, we doubt that we are any closer to justice today.<\/p>\n
Wednesday's announcement by Jakarta Police Chief Insp. Gen.
\nSofjan Jacoeb that Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra, the businessman
\nson of former president Soeharto, had been arrested was greeted
\nwith public skepticism. The public has every reason to be
\nskeptical. This whole saga -- from Tommy's escape from the law
\nlast year to his arrest on Wednesday -- has been nothing but a
\ncharade. The police, whether wittingly or unwittingly, are all
\njust cast members in the show.<\/p>\n
We have yet to hear the full story and circumstances of the
\narrest and doubt that we will ever learn the truth. But even
\nwithout this, the way police accorded privileges to "Mas Tommy"
\n-- as those who seem to revere him like to address him -- have
\nraised eyebrows about how kindly the law is treating a man who is
\nsupposed to be the most dangerous person in Indonesia. Lest we
\nforget, Tommy is wanted not only in connection with a corruption
\ncase, but also with the murder of a senior judge and a series of
\nbombings in Jakarta over the past year.<\/p>\n
Yet, what the nation watched on Wednesday night through their
\ntelevision sets was a scene from "Return of the Prodigal Son" and
\nnot the arrest of a wanted man who has the potential to do
\nextensive damage to the country. It was totally improper for
\nSofjan and other senior police officers to hug Tommy and give him
\na peck on the cheek, and later for the police chief to offer his
\nown office for Tommy to receive his relatives and lawyers.<\/p>\n
The media conference called by Sofjan to announce Tommy's
\narrest turned into a circus. The media became very much part of
\nthe circus, diligently recording every word that came out of
\nSofjan's mouth.<\/p>\n
Besides lavishing praise on "Mas Tommy", who was seated next
\nto him, for cooperating with the arresting officers, Sofjan
\nturned the press conference into something of a public relations
\ngimmick, highlighting the arrest as a major achievement for which
\nhe and his men would probably be richly rewarded. Coming on the
\neve of the appointment of a new National Police chief, many
\ncynically view the arrest as something of a timely personal gift
\nfor the incoming chief, Insp. Gen. Da'i Bachtiar, which will also
\nsecure Sofjan's position.<\/p>\n
It is worth reminding that Tommy's arrest is very late in
\ncoming. It is more a reflection of police incompetence than a
\nmajor success, as Sofjan would have us believe. It was police
\nincompetence that allowed Tommy to flee the law shortly after a
\ncourt convicted him to 18 months imprisonment for corruption last
\nyear. It was police incompetence that allowed Tommy to escape on
\nmore than one occasion, even after they detected his whereabouts.
\nAnd it was also police incompetence that led to the many as-yet
\nunexplained bombings in Jakarta and other cities. And now that we
\nlearn that Tommy may have something to do with some of these
\nbombings, the rest of the nation has suffered because of the
\npolice's incompetence.<\/p>\n
Having said that, let's not underestimate Tommy and what he is
\ncapable of doing. The son of former president Soeharto is a man
\nof many means. He has money and power, as well as friends and
\nconnections in high places, even if his father is no longer in
\npower. This is a man with a huge capacity to cause damage or
\nharm, if he wants to, or alternatively, to buy his way out of
\ntrouble.<\/p>\n
The way he has eluded the law all this time is evidence of his
\npower. The way the Supreme Court overturned his guilty verdict in
\nrelation to the corruption case, even after he had implied his
\nguilt by seeking a presidential pardon, is another indication of
\nhis power. Although the court will still have to prove
\nallegations that he ordered the July killing of M. Syafiuddin
\nKartasasmita, or the police allegations that he had a role in
\nsome of the recent bombings, they are nevertheless indicative of
\nwhat this man is capable of.<\/p>\n
It is not our intention to belittle the significance of
\nTommy's arrest. On the contrary, we feel he could provide clues
\nto so many questions that have no answers to this day, whether it
\nis about the way our judiciary works, how the law enforcement
\nagencies, including the police, work, and about many unresolved
\nmajor corruption cases.<\/p>\n
Tommy's case will be a real test of the nation's commitment to
\nreform. Handled properly, it could become the impetus to restart
\nthe national reform agenda. If the public is skeptical, that is
\nbecause we have been deceived too many times before. Whatever new
\ngame is being played out following Tommy's arrest, we should
\npostpone any celebrations until we see real justice upheld.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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