Jailing of activist called unfair<\/p>\n
Wahyoe Boediwardhana, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar, Bali<\/p>\n
The jailing of a university student for insulting President
\nSusilo Bambang Yudhoyono is a reflection of the government's
\nreluctance to accept public criticism, an observer says.<\/p>\n
Sociologist Ngurah Karyadi said on Tuesday, as a President who
\nwas directly elected, Susilo belonged to the people and should
\nscrap all prerogatives that would distance him from the nation.<\/p>\n
"In accordance with the electoral process, the President is no
\nlonger a state symbol, but a representative of the people who
\nelected him," Karyadi said.<\/p>\n
He was responding to the Denpasar District Court's sentencing
\nlast Friday of Udayana University student I Wayan Suardana alias
\nGendo to six months' imprisonment for insulting the President
\nduring a rally in January against the fuel price increase.<\/p>\n
Karyadi said the conviction proved the government had failed
\nto make a break with the past, when criticism was perceived as an
\nattempt to undermine the government.<\/p>\n
People, he said, were far more critical of the government now
\nthan in the past, thanks to the reform movement.<\/p>\n
The judges convicted Gendo of violating Article 134 of the
\nCriminal Code on insulting government officials by setting fire
\nto Susilo's picture.<\/p>\n
Over the past six months, six students have been sentenced to
\nbetween five months' and three years' imprisonment for insulting
\nthe head of state.<\/p>\n
Critics have called for the revocation of the controversial
\narticle in the Criminal Code, which is a legacy of the Dutch
\ncolonial government, saying it has restricted criticism and
\nfreedom of expression.<\/p>\n
Gendo will only be behind bars for a further 22 days as he has
\nbeen detained since Jan. 3, but the court accepted on Monday
\nprosecutors' demand for an extension of his detention pending
\ntheir appeal to a higher court.<\/p>\n
A criminologist, however, agreed to the imprisonment of
\nSuardana, saying the student had gone too far.<\/p>\n
"People must look at the case in proportion. They must
\ndifferentiate between students who demonstrate and people who
\ninsult or denounce others," Gede Made Suardana said.<\/p>\n
Suardana said the way Gendo criticized the government had gone
\nagainst political education for people in a democratic country
\nlike Indonesia.<\/p>\n
"People must uphold ethics when conveying their opinion," he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Democracy, he said, should not be at the price of the
\nPresident's reputation.<\/p>\n
"Whoever the president is, he or she deserves protection and
\nit is also the responsibility of people to protect their
\npresident," Suardana said.<\/p>\n
Both Karyadi and Suardana criticized the judges who failed to
\ngive the convict the chance to accept or reject the verdict in
\naccordance with the Criminal Code.<\/p>",
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