A band of thieves

A band of thieves

From Suara Karya

Coordinator of the Indonesian Corruption Watch Teten Masduki said that of the 36 justices on the Supreme Court, only five had been declared clean, and the remaining were "thieves". He deplored that the Supreme Court, the last fortress of justice in Indonesia, was dominated by thieves working as judges.

I think the truth of this very strong statement must be proven. The justices on the Supreme Court should conduct an internal investigation, a form of introspection, and should have the drive to prove if Teten's statement is true or just a rumor that was intentionally spread to destroy the credibility of the justices on the Supreme Court.

This is important because Teten's statement will certainly have an impact on the community as well as on the institution of the judiciary in Indonesia. On the one hand, the credibility of the judges declines and is tarnished; on the other, the community will no longer trust the judiciary in Indonesia. Furthermore, it is easy to say that it will be difficult for the community to obey the laws in force, considering that the justices on the Supreme Court are nearly all thieves, as alleged by Teten.

It would be a good thing for the justices to comment on Teten's statement. If the statement is untrue, they must immediately sue Teten because he has tarnished the good name of their institution. Apart from his insult to the justices, he is also a provocateur, inciting the people to oppose the law by describing the justices as a band of thieves.

It is also important to give a lesson to the community as well as to Teten Masduki not to shoot his mouth off, like a person who has just escaped from a psychiatric institution.

The judges should respond to Teten's statement; otherwise, their silence means that his statement is true. Do not blame the people if they believe that the justices of the Supreme Court are no different from a band of thieves.

DIDI DARMADI

Jakarta