Akbar Tandjung's struggle

Akbar Tandjung's struggle

One of the country's serious problems is a weak judiciary. The law could not be enforced because it is subordinate to power.

However, nowadays the power of the military has been reduced and Golkar Party did not control the votes during the last election. Power has been divided.

Amid these changes, reform has yet to enable the judges to exercise their powers freely and independently. The law can still be bought and is still liable to intervention.

The law has punished House of Representatives Speaker Akbar Tandjung. However there is a precedent -- central bank governor, Sjahril Sabirin, who maintained his post despite a court conviction which earned him a three-year jail term. Sabirin was later acquitted.

If Sabirin was able to get away with it, why can't Akbar? And if Akbar and Sjahril could eventually walk free why not the others? At this point, we should go back to reality that the law is still discriminatory.

-- Media Indonesia, Jakarta