Tommy's arrest: Its possible implications<\/p>\n
J. Soedjati Djiwandono, Political Analyst, Jakarta<\/p>\n
"Certain political groupings seem to have tried to take advantage
\nof the whole episode, from the beginning of the process of his
\n(Tommy's) trial, his brief imprisonment, his two meetings with
\nthe then president Abdurrahman Wahid, his escape, his
\ndisappearance for a little more than a year, and his final
\narrest."<\/p>\n
Perhaps I am just engaging myself in conspiratorial thinking this
\ntime, but there's no other way of understanding or explaining the
\npossible political implications of the arrest of Tommy Soeharto.
\nIt is an intriguing phenomenon. And for many people, particularly
\nthe police, it seems to have been a cause of pride and
\nexcitement, and a sense of success and achievement.<\/p>\n
That's understandable. Under the current circumstances,
\ncharacterized by a general feeling of helplessness and
\nfrustration in society, not only the police, but also the
\ngovernment of President Megawati Soekarnoputri as well as the
\npeople at large, badly need the kind of symbolism that Tommy's
\narrest represents. Yet it is interesting, though baffling, the
\npolite and respectable way in which even the Jakarta Police Chief
\nhas treated Tommy, using the sort of language in referring to
\nTommy, a convict, that suggests he is still the youngest son of a
\npresident.<\/p>\n
However, at the risk of being hated, or at least misunderstood
\nand resented by many unthinking people, I must admit to feeling
\ncynical about the whole episode. Worse still, I feel a little
\nsympathy for Tommy.<\/p>\n
Admittedly, he has been a convict and a fugitive. He may have
\nbeen proven a criminal, cruel and corrupt, and now even suspected
\nof being a terrorist and murderer. Nevertheless, I cannot help
\nbut feel that Tommy has been exploited.<\/p>\n
Certain political groupings seem to have tried to take
\nadvantage of the whole episode, from the beginning of the process
\nof his trial, his brief imprisonment, his two meetings with the
\nthen president Abdurrahman Wahid, his escape, his disappearance
\nfor a little more than a year, and his final arrest.<\/p>\n
Lawyers have been engaged in endless debates over the
\npropriety of the Supreme Court's decision, following Tommy's
\nrequest for a review of his case, to reverse the judgment of the
\ncourt that had tried and sentenced him to imprisonment, thereby
\nsetting him free, even though he remained in hiding until his
\nfinal arrest.<\/p>\n
He is liable to other accusations of illegal possession of
\nfirearms and even of being involved in the murder of Supreme
\nCourt Justice M. Syafiuddin Kartasasmita.<\/p>\n
Legislators from the Commission in charge of legal affairs
\nwent to the Metropolitan Police headquarters, where Tommy was
\ntaken following his arrest, to verify whether Tommy had
\nsurrendered to the police or had been arrested. To a layperson
\nlike this writer, as far as legal matters are concerned, ignorant
\nof legal niceties, this was just a joke, and in very bad taste. I
\nsimply could not grasp the essential difference and thus its real
\nsignificance and relevance.<\/p>\n
Faced with a group of armed policemen, most probably pointing
\ntheir guns at him, he had probably said, "I surrender", meaning,
\n"I won't resist". That made his arrest peaceful and easy. So
\nliterally, he both surrendered and was arrested. Legislators
\nnowadays are inclined not only to talk much nonsense, but also
\ntend to be, or just to appear to be, busy bodies.<\/p>\n
As reflected in the media during the days since his arrest,
\nafter a year in hiding, public attention has been very much
\nfocused on Tommy. The excitement has been out of proportion.<\/p>\n
And who is likely to benefit from all the fuss and excitement?
\nThey are likely to be corrupt people in high positions and all
\nthose having mutually beneficial connections with those holding
\npower. They can continue to enjoy their good, though corrupt,
\nlives in peace -- at least for the time being -- hiding
\nthemselves behind politically powerful high positions, untouched
\nby the law, while the public's attention is distracted by the
\nTommy saga.<\/p>\n
It is here that I sympathize with him. I don't mean to say
\nthat he is innocent and that he is a sort of "sacrificed lamb".<\/p>\n
There must be others who may be no less, if not even more
\ncorrupt, and yet they remain free, beyond the reach of the law
\nbecause of their relations with those holding political power.
\nTommy's father, a former president and dictator, is no more than
\na bird with clipped wings.<\/p>\n
I fear even more the possibility that the whole saga of not
\nonly Tommy but also of the Soeharto family may mean a setback for
\nthe already slow and in some respects misdirected process of
\nreform. And sadly, in the end it may well mean greater suffering
\nfor the people.<\/p>",
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