Lest we forget<\/p>\n
Almost four years have passed since the tragic deaths of four
\nTrisakti University students which set off the string of events
\nthat led to the downfall of the authoritarian Soeharto regime and
\nushered in democratic reforms in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
In the wake of that shooting incident during a standoff
\nbetween troops and student protesters in front of the
\nuniversity's campus in Jakarta, more than a thousand people were
\nreportedly killed in the maelstrom of rioting that swept the
\ncapital city.<\/p>\n
In the months that followed, at least 11 more people were
\nfelled by government sharpshooters in the riots before the reform
\nmovement reached its present, and unfinished, stage.<\/p>\n
In November of that same year, five student protesters were
\ncut down by unknown snipers near the Semanggi cloverleaf in
\nCentral Jakarta. In December of the following year, a similar
\nincident claimed the lives of six more students.<\/p>\n
Official promises were made, along with efforts to bring the
\nguilty to justice, irrespective of rank or position.<\/p>\n
So far, however, only one thing has been established for
\ncertain: The protesters were victims of gunmen whose identities
\nremain unknown. A few junior officers were tried by a military
\ntribunal and given light sentences.<\/p>\n
The real perpetrators and those who should be held responsible
\nfor the crimes, however, have remained free.<\/p>\n
The question of who they are could well remain unanswered
\nforever -- unless, of course, the top brass in the military and
\nthe police cooperate and support the current investigations.<\/p>\n
This is why a special Commission of Inquiry into Human Rights
\nViolations (KPP HAM) was formed, raising hopes in the community
\nthat justice might still be done, especially after President
\nMegawati Soekarnoputri told leaders of the military last week to
\nobey the law in order to restore the military's tarnished image.<\/p>\n
Vice President Hamzah Haz also urged the military to comply.<\/p>\n
After all, conventional reasoning dictates that the commander
\nin charge should be held responsible, at least to some degree,
\nfor what happened, irrespective of who actually pulled the
\ntrigger.<\/p>\n
However, none of the officers in a position of authority at
\nthe time of the fatal shootings have been willing to take blame,
\nshifting it instead on junior officers and rank-and-file troops.<\/p>\n
As recently as last week, top lawyers for nine military
\nofficers who were summoned to appear before the commission have
\nbeen steadfast in rejecting the summons on technical grounds.<\/p>\n
At present, an argument between the military and the human
\nrights lawyers still revolves over whether or not the commission
\nof inquiry's existence is legal.<\/p>\n
One the one hand, the military argues that the commission of
\ninquiry is illegal, and should be disbanded. The law relevant to
\nthe case, known as Law No.26\/2000, it says, makes no specific
\nmention of such a commission.<\/p>\n
Military lawyers insist that the right to inquire and
\nestablish whether or not serious violations of human rights
\noccurred should rest with the House of Representatives in which
\nthe military, incidentally, is represented.<\/p>\n
They also insist that the commission of inquiry complete its
\nsummons by producing proof that it was established by the
\nNational Human Rights Commission in full accordance with the law.
\nThis request was granted by the Central Jakarta District Court,
\nwhere the case is being tried.<\/p>\n
It would be asking too much to go into all the technicalities
\ninvolved in this case. But one thing stands out clearly.<\/p>\n
It is the fact that it is in the interest of the military
\nitself, more than anyone else, to have the case duly settled in a
\ncourt of law because this is the only way it can expect to
\nrehabilitate its tarnished name.<\/p>\n
It was Napoleon Bonaparte, that great military leader, who
\nsaid that there could be no authority without justice. Let us
\nhope that our military can see the wisdom of that statement.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/lest-we-forget-1447899208",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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