Aberson faces prison for defaming Soeharto

Aberson faces prison for defaming Soeharto

JAKARTA (JP): An 18-month jail sentence has been requested for
the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) legislator, Aberson Marle
Sihaloho, accused of slandering President Soeharto, the Armed
Forces and the House of Representatives.

Prosecutor Y.W. Mere told the Central Jakarta District Court
yesterday that Aberson had been "convincingly proven guilty" of
breaching Articles 134 and 207 of the Criminal Code, which carry
a maximum penalty of six years imprisonment and one and a half
years imprisonment.

"He deserves it, and there are no excuses for him to get off,"
Mere told the court presided by Judge Soehardjo.

After the sentencing recommendation, Aberson insisted that he
was innocent and would defend himself in the next session.

The defense leader, Luhut M.P. Pangaribuan, asked the court
for a three week adjournment to prepare a statement.

"Wouldn't it be too long?" Soehardjo said. "You might forget
things if it takes too long."

But he adjourned the trial until June 16.

In his 52-page sentencing recommendation, prosecutor Mere said
Aberson had made slanderous remarks in a speech to hundreds of
people at the PDI headquarters on July 13 last year after the
party's leader, Megawati Soekarnoputri, was ousted.

The prosecutor said Aberson was guilty of saying: "Throughout
the 30 years of Soeharto's leadership, our freedom has been
stolen and we are being colonized once again."

"Aberson also said: 'If Soeharto is really subjugating us, we
just have to leave it to God'," Mere said.

Mere said Aberson had also said that the Armed Forces had been
linked to coup attempts while Sukarno was president.

Aberson allegedly said: "Look, who have been the rebels after
all? The Army. Who led DI/TII? The Army. Who shot the generals in
the 1965 communist coup? The Army. So, why are they blaming the
people now?"

DI/TII (Darul Islam/Tentara Islam Indonesia) proclaimed an
independent Indonesian Islamic State in 1949, under the
leadership of army deserter Maridjan Kartosuwirjo. President
Sukarno crushed the movement in 1962.

Mere said Aberson had defamed the House by saying: "Our
natural resources, which should form the basis for people's
prosperity, have become the basis for the prosperity of
bureaucrats and conglomerates. Legislators are no longer
representing the people, they have turned into conglomerate
representatives."

Aberson, accompanied by his relatives and fellow Megawati/PDI
faction legislators Sabam Sirait and Sophan Sophiaan, said after
yesterday's session that his true statements "have been twisted".

"My case actually has nothing to do with my speech. And my
speech was not an attack on personality either, but on systems,
policies made on political organizations and the Armed Forces.

"I personally salute President Soeharto for his making
Pancasila the sole principle in politics in this country," he
said. (aan)