Former student activists frustated by reform results<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Seven years after the fall of former authoritarian leader
\nSoeharto, there has been little improvement in people's welfare
\nand law enforcement, former student activists say.<\/p>\n
\"There were two things that we student activists fought for in
\n1998: first, lower the prices of basic needs and second, bring
\nSoeharto to trial. Neither have happened,\" said Niko Adrian, a
\nformer student activist and founder of the now defunct City Forum
\n(Forkot).<\/p>\n
Niko, who now works as a public defender for the APHI legal
\naid body, said people's welfare had not improved because none of
\nSoeharto's successors had been committed to the Constitution.<\/p>\n
\"For example, Article 33 says that natural resources should be
\nexploited only for the maximum benefit of the people, but on the
\ncontrary, the government has privatized some vital state-owned
\ncompanies, which benefited only businesspeople,\" he told The
\nJakarta Post on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Regarding Soeharto, he said there had not been a single
\npresident after Soeharto who had the courage to bring the man to
\ntrial because they were still backed by a few politicians from
\nthe New Order regime.<\/p>\n
\"As a lawyer, as far as I know, the capability of a defendant
\nto stand trial is determined by the judge. A judge will ask
\nwhether or not the man is healthy enough to stand trial. But in
\nSoeharto's case, he didn't even go to court,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Soeharto, who stepped aside in May 1998 after leading the
\ncountry for more than three decades, had been accused of
\nplundering the country to enrich himself, family members and
\ncronies. The Attorney General's Office, however, has declared
\nhim unfit to stand trial.<\/p>\n
Another former Forkot activist, Luthfi Iskandar, agreed that
\nmany of the students' demands had not been fulfilled, but at
\nleast there had been a slight improvement in the fight against
\ncorruption.<\/p>\n
In 1998, students also demanded the elimination of corruption,
\ncollusion and nepotism, which became rampant during the 32 years
\nof Soeharto's presidency.<\/p>\n
\"At least there is an intense struggle against corruption now,
\nwhich has exposed high-profile cases involving state officials.
\nBut that's not enough, there has been no tough punishment, such
\nas the death sentence, handed down to embezzlers yet,\" said
\nLuthfi, who runs a private information and technology company.<\/p>\n
Luthfi added that tough sentences were needed as a warning
\nthat corruption could not take place in the reform era.<\/p>\n
Many big-time embezzlers, mostly associated with Soeharto's
\nNew Order regime, have not been prosecuted. Some still hold
\nstrategic political positions in the country, which has
\nconsistently been ranked one of the world's most corrupt nations.<\/p>\n
Jim Lomen, a former activist from Trisakti University, said
\nsuch minimal progress was not enough to reflect the success of
\nthe reform movement.<\/p>\n
\"Yes, some corruption cases have been exposed to the public,
\nand President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has supported such
\nexposure, but we must also realize that corruption has also
\nspread out to the provincial and regency levels. Corruption has
\nalso become decentralized,\" said Jim, who works for a cargo
\ncompany.<\/p>\n
He suggested that President Susilo focus primarily on law
\nenforcement, the success of which would have a domino effect on
\npeople's welfare.<\/p>\n
\"In 2009, he will either be reelected or another president
\nwill replace him. He or she could just focus on reforming the
\neconomic sector,\" Jim said. (006)<\/p>",
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