All citizens equal before law

All citizens equal before law

Indonesia finally has an attorney general who has the
professional confidence and integrity to act decisively to
ensure that the nation's laws are enforced fairly, and he is
criticized by, of all people, someone who revels in his
reputation as a champion of the victimized, Mr. Adnan Buyung
Nasution. His reputation notwithstanding, Mr. Nasution seems all
too comfortable moving from one side of the room to the other
-- from the corner of those who are oppressed to the dining
tables of those who exploit the oppressed and manipulate the law
for personal profit. Does anyone else doubt that the attorney
general has reasonable, good-faith grounds for his preliminary
conclusion that Mr. Sinivasan of Texmaco may have improperly
obtained special government facilities for his company because of
his past friendship with Mr. Soeharto?

Attorney General Marzuki Darusman has made it clear in his
public statements that Mr. Sinivasan of Texmaco is a suspect
only, has not yet been proved guilty of a crime and is presumed
innocent at this stage. Mr. Darusman has also made it clear that
as a suspect Mr. Sinivasan will not enjoy a favored position
based on his status or wealth. Shouldn't champions of the
oppressed like Mr. Nasution be celebrating this bureaucratic
development?

The attorney general has done what any effective prosecutor
would do; he has acted quickly to limit a suspect's opportunity
to flee the jurisdiction. Would Mr. Nasution prefer that his
client had been physically detained? We have all watched the
parade of other crony conglomerati who in the past two years
suddenly developed mysterious illnesses that required extended
treatment in the U.S., Australia or Singapore when they became
targets of suspicion.

Shouldn't all of us who are subject to Indonesia's laws be
grateful for an attorney general who does not tolerate those
shameful, sham attempts to avoid the criminal justice system?
But Mr. Sinivasan is only one part of the collusive equation. The
other part is Mr. Soeharto. If there is a basis for concluding
that Mr. Sinivasan has violated a law, there should be a
corresponding legal basis for concluding that former president
Soeharto has violated the same law. (If there is not, this legal
lacunae needs filling immediately). In fact Soeharto's guilt
would be greater, since as president he took a public vow to
uphold the laws of the land.

As a matter of public education Mr. Marzuki Darusman might
want to cite the law that Mr. Sinivasan is suspected of
violating, and promptly deal with citizen Soeharto
also.

DONNA K. WOODWARD

Medan, North Sumatra