Supremacy of law vital to rebuild nation<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Respect and improvement of judicial principles
\nand individual and collective political freedom based on the
\nsupremacy of law are needed to rebuild the battered nation, a
\npolitical scientist said.<\/p>\n
During his inauguration as a research professor at the
\nIndonesian Institute of Sciences on Thursday, Mochtar Pabottingi
\nsaid respect of justice and freedom should particularly be
\napplied in the amendment of the 1945 Constitution currently
\nunderway.<\/p>\n
\"But it's not easy. Legislators at the People's Consultative
\nAssembly need to avoid any narrow-minded political interests,\"
\nMochtar said in his speech.<\/p>\n
Also named a research professor at the institute was foreign
\naffairs observer Dewi Fortuna Anwar.<\/p>\n
The ceremony came almost a year after their installment was
\napproved by former president B.J. Habibie.<\/p>\n
Mochtar said wisdom in upholding the nation's interests over
\npersonal or groups interests was needed to encourage democracy,
\njustice and freedom.<\/p>\n
He said improvements in democracy should be followed by the
\nformation of a new general election law, a representative
\nlegislature and a radical review of the judiciary.<\/p>\n
\"Our judicial institutions are still exhibiting abuse of their
\nauthority, which is detrimental to our efforts to uphold justice
\nand freedom,\" he contended.<\/p>\n
Mochtar blamed the present chaotic situation in political,
\neconomic and judicial systems on questionable practices during
\nthe New Order regime of former president Soeharto.<\/p>\n
He said Soeharto's regime manipulated the three branches of
\nthe government, namely the legislative, executive and judicial
\nbranches.<\/p>\n
\"They just followed in the footsteps of the Dutch colonial
\nadministration, as seen in the way they maintained their monopoly
\nin politics, economy and law,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He said the regime also applied discrimination in stratifying
\nsociety. Soeharto's family and cronies, conglomerates, soldiers
\nand members of the ruling Golkar joined the first class of
\nsociety; common people made up the second class while the lowest
\nclass comprised former political prisoners, particularly members
\nof the now defunct Indonesian Communist Party and their
\nrelatives.<\/p>\n
Mochtar said both the Soeharto regime and the Dutch colonial
\nadministration committed corruption on a massive scale and
\nmanipulated representative institutions.<\/p>\n
\"Both Soeharto and the Dutch colonial administration
\nsystematically prohibited people from participating in politics
\nand the bureaucracy,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He said the absence of a system of checks and balances in the
\npast regime and loopholes in the Constitution had caused the
\nnation greater suffering than under Dutch colonial rule.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, in her speech Dewi criticized President Abdurrahman
\nWahid's numerous foreign trips. She said the President's overseas
\ntravel, aimed at reassuring foreign countries in a bid to attract
\ninvestment, could prove useless if undertaken partially.<\/p>\n
\"An ad hoc and partial approach will not be effective and
\nprove to be a waste of money and energy,\" Dewi, who was an
\nadviser to Habibie, said.<\/p>\n
She said persistent efforts to solicit foreign investment
\nwould be fruitless if there was no concrete action to improve
\nsecurity in the country. (jun)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/supremacy-of-law-vital-to-rebuild-nation-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}