Muladi, past and present<\/p>\n
Several years ago, when the Soeharto regime was still in
\npower, I knew Muladi as a champion of human rights and the law
\nwho voiced popular aspirations. I admired his personality which
\nwas reflected in his idealism and writings.<\/p>\n
So, when he was appointed minister of justice, I thought he
\nwas the right man for the position. My hope then was that the
\nlegal reform he advocated would begin to be realized. In the era
\nof Habibie, I thought it would be plain sailing for Muladi to
\ntranslate his ideas into reality.<\/p>\n
When he began to appear quite frequently on TV in interviews
\nwith reporters or making public statements, I still found him to
\nbe a tough, steel-hearted and disciplined figure who would not
\ncompromise his beliefs but at the same time was also a reasonable
\nand sensible humanist.<\/p>\n
Muladi told one interviewer, a reporter who was trying to fish
\ninformation from him, that he was not as stupid as the reporter
\nthought he was. \"I'm a professor,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, power is everything but without power
\neverything is nothing. It seems that, unknowingly, Muladi has let
\nhimself be drawn into the inner circle of the power of Habibie's
\nregime, a regime that seems to practice the abuse of power. So,
\ncase after case passed before his nose without any satisfactory
\nsettlement. The lies underlining Ghalibgate, the handling of the
\nFree Aceh Movement (GAM), the unresolved investigation into
\nSoeharto and, Baligate, prove that Muladi is not as ferocious now
\nthan when he was outside the powers that be.<\/p>\n
In fact, I had my empathy for him when he went to Singapore
\nfor medical treatment. I thought his workload and stress were the
\ncause of his illness. Then he went to Switzerland with his wife
\nto trace Soeharto's alleged assets there. We have heard nothing
\nmore about it until now. Muladi promised several times, widely
\nreported in the mass media, that he would break the news about
\nthe thorough settlement, political or judicial, of the Soeharto
\ninvestigation. Unfortunately his promises have remained only
\nthat, promises. At one time, Muladi was heard to make a
\nspontaneous comment which may have reflected his frustration: \"If
\nthis is the case, I'd better return to the UNDIP campus to
\nteach.\"<\/p>\n
The most recent event which is most disappointing to me and
\nother members of the public is the announcement of a statement
\npurportedly by former Bank Bali president Rudy Ramli which
\ncontradicted the information widely circulated in the media. When
\nRudy came before honorable members of the House of
\nRepresentatives on Sept. 9, in the presence of dozens of
\njournalists and broadcast live on a private television station to
\nmillions of viewers, Muladi's reputation began to slip.<\/p>\n
It is true that as secretary of state he was assigned to read
\nRamli's statement, but, as a legal champion, he had to listen to
\nhis own conscience. Was he then under psychological pressure? In
\nfact, we have a minister of information who could have read the
\nstatement instead.<\/p>\n
Well, only Muladi knows the answer. Muladi was right when he
\nsaid that the statement made by Rudy before the legislators would
\nonly be legal and possible to be used in court if it was made
\nbefore an investigating institution. Does the statement,
\ntherefore, become meaningless? In my opinion, anyone with logical
\nthinking will say that Rudy Ramli should be trusted. His
\ntestimony was original and was made openly before the honorable
\nrepresentatives of the people. We should be doubtful instead
\nabout any statement he made before the police or prosecutors.<\/p>\n
SUSANTO JOSEPH<\/p>\n
Jakarta<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/muladi-past-and-present-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }