Bismar -- The voice of conscience

Bismar -- The voice of conscience

By Imanuddin

JAKARTA (JP): Bismar Siregar, regarded by many in the legal profession as the moral voice of Indonesian justice, may have retired, but his voice continues to be heard.

Since leaving court for the last time in January, Bismar has made many public appearances, including giving TV and radio interviews, delivering sermons and writing newspaper columns.

He has been an even more high profile public figure than during his days as a senior judge.

Before his retirement from the Supreme Court last month, Bismar was often critical of his colleagues in the legal profession whenever it came under public scrutiny. He stood out among his colleagues who tended to defend the shortcomings of the legal system.

Now no longer part of the system which he served all his career, 65-year-old Bismar appears to be enjoying his new-found liberty.

"I am no longer a legal practitioner. You can call me a legal observer now. Isn't an observer supposed to be more intelligent than a practitioner?" he said during a recent interview at his residence in Cilandak, South Jakarta.

Earlier this month, when news broke of an allegation that a senior judge has been receiving bribes from a defendant on trial for multi-million dollar corruption, Bismar was forthright in suggesting that the judge be sacked if the allegation was proven.

He said the legal profession has been too tolerant of abuses by its own members, and that this was tainting its image. He recalled that the last time a judge was expelled for misconduct was back in the 1960s. Since then, errant judges have simply been transferred to other posts.

Bismar's soft voice defies not only his Batak origins, usually associated with tough speaking, but also his vocal and critical stance on various issues.

Last year Bismar called on trial judges to have the courage to sentence rapists to death, even though the law only prescribes a maximum of 12 years imprisonment. Judges, he said, should listen to the people's wishes and should not solely depend on their law books in handing down verdicts.

He set a number of precedents when he was a high court judge in Medan in the 1980s. Once he raised the jail term of two convicted drug traffickers from 10 months to 15 years. On another occasion, he raised the jail term of a headmaster convicted of raping a student from seven months to three years.

Nowadays Bismar, a devout Moslem, spends his days delivering sermons. There isn't a shortage of demand for the likes of him as he combines his religious knowledge with his legal experience. "My wife complains that I'm rarely at home although I am not a judge anymore," he said.

Preaching had been a second profession since 1981. Now, it is his full-time job.

"I turned to preaching because of a series of unexpected events during my days as a judge," he explained.

The trigger came in 1975, he recalled. "I was berated by Chief Justice Oemar Seno Adjie for using Koranic verses in my verdicts."

His devotion to Islam changed the course of his life early in his working career, which began as a government attorney. In 1960, he said he was accused by Attorney General Gunawan of harboring separatist sentiments and was supporting the Islamic rebellion in Sumatra. He quit the job as a government attorney and became a judge.

He said friends and colleagues also encouraged him to take up preaching.

Born in Sipirok, North Sumatra, Bismar graduated from the School of Law of the University of Indonesia in 1956. His classmates include current Chief Justice Soerjono, Deputy Chief Justice for general crimes Adi Andojo Soetjipto, and senior judges T.S. Aslamiah Sulaeman and Tomy Bustomi.

Now, Bismar's diary is filled with appointments for sermons all over the country.

During Ramadhan he often had as many as four different speaking engagements in a day.

He also regularly delivers sermons at the Cipinang penitentiary, once every three months at the Salemba detention center, and twice a year in the Ministry of Justice and the Cut Meutia mosque in Central Jakarta.

He finds his most challenging task is giving sermons before families. "It is more challenging to deliver a sermon to a family than in a mosque, whose attendants have a better knowledge of Islam," he said.