Pardoning political prisoners<\/p>\n
In a discussion at the Universitas 17 Augustus in Surabaya
\nrecently, Dr. Roeslan Abdulgani suggested that the government
\nconsider granting amnesties to political prisoners who are still
\nin prison, particularly those who of advanced age, as a symbol of
\nthe 50th anniversary of Indonesia's independence. The idea has
\nreportedly already been submitted to the anniversary committee,
\nwhich is led by the Minister\/State Secretary Moerdiono.<\/p>\n
After it was published by the press, the suggestion met with
\nvarious reactions from, among others, members of the House of
\nRepresentatives and the National Commission on Human Rights.<\/p>\n
The comments from House members have generally been
\nunderstandably cautious. Cak Roes (Roeslan Abdulgani) seemed well
\naware of the sensitive nature of the issue. He said: "I very much
\noppose their (Soebandrio's and Omar Dhani's) policies. But, as a
\ngreat nation, we now should be able to forgive them." This is all
\nthe more true because the world's political situation has
\ndrastically changed.<\/p>\n
We hope Cak Roes's idea, and the public discussion that has
\nfollowed, can expand Indonesians' perception and prompt those in
\ncharge to examine the issue with care, wisdom and good judgment.<\/p>\n
Without losing our wariness and caution, considering the
\npossible political effects, this suggestion deserves to be viewed
\nin correct proportion.<\/p>\n
We strongly believe that the government and the members of the
\n50th anniversary committee are capable of giving it fair
\nconsideration. The decision should be explained to the public to
\nenable Indonesians to understand, accept and support the measures
\ntaken.<\/p>\n
-- Surabaya Post, Surabaya<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/pardoning-political-prisoners-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }