A conspiracy?

A conspiracy?

Not long ago President B.J. Habibie made an open statement to
a forum of foreign journalists saying that upon his return from
his inauguration as president he was startled to see a
concentration of Army Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad) troops
surrounding his house. He immediately contacted Minister of
Defense and Security/Armed Forces Commander General Wiranto to
promptly discharge the Kostrad commander Prabowo Subianto and
withdraw the troops.

Logically, the world wants to see follow-up measures after an
important statement by the head of state. The attorney general
and the commander of the Armed Forces/the chief of Police should
act in a proactive way without waiting for orders and summon
Prabowo accused of conspiracy, i.e. using arms to besiege the
President. But, so far, there have been no follow-up steps. The
accused should be brought to court speedily. It is the court that
decides. If the defendant is not proven guilty, he should be
released and his name restored. If he is proven guilty, a legal
process must be started. If there is proof of people behind him,
they should also be sued. Prabowo only sent a simple letter as
his response, per facsimile, from Jordan and the minister of
defense and security/commander of the Armed Forces made a
statement. The facsimile contained a denial of what the head of
state had said. There is a popular saying, "Is there a thief who
admits he is a thief?" It is the court that decides whether he is
a thief or not.

The Armed Forces commander's statement in defense of the
accused said it was a rational measure, i.e. the concentration of
troops at the President's residence was for security reasons. One
day after this statement, Ms Dewi Fortuna Anwar, President
Habibie's advisor on foreign affairs, commented on the statement
on TV, "If it was for security reasons, why should the head of
state be evacuated to another place?" It is true that if the
presence of the troops was for reasons of security, the head of
state should have been informed before hand. He could have gone
home quietly. And he would not need to issue the order for
dismissal of the Kostrad commander. The statement to the forum of
foreign journalists would not have been necessary.

If the most basic of laws is not adhered to, what about the
other laws? Not surprisingly, despite the many facilities offered
and an oral guarantee of security, foreign investors still
hesitate to enter a state whose laws are complete and strict only
on paper! Apparently the "law crisis" in our country is at the
base of all other crises (monetary, economic, etc.).

THOMAS P. TANDANG

Jakarta