Budiman bids farewell to jail

JAKARTA (JP): There were traces of relief, happiness and hope for a bright new life when 91 political inmates nationwide were released on Friday in a virtual marking of the end of past authoritarianism, in which thousands of people were sent to jail for their political beliefs.

Under an evening rainfall at exactly 9 p.m., Democratic People's Party (PRD) Budiman Sudjatmiko and fellow released prisoners stepped out of Cipinang Penitentiary.

Loud cheers from around 50 PRD supporters, who had been waiting for the historic event for hours, greeted Budiman and his five party activists who were sentenced to serve between six and 13 years in jail.

The six PRD activists were convicted of treason following the government-supported takeover of the Indonesian Democratic Party's office on Jl. Diponegoro in Central Jakarta in 1996.

"Now I will be with you. You gave me strength when I was at the lowest ebb of my life. Now we will begin a new fight for a better future," Budiman told his supporters outside the penitentiary.

Once outlawed by the government of former president Soeharto, PRD contested the June elections, but did not win enough votes to gain House of Representatives seats.

Not far from the place where he stood, his girlfriend Catherine, along with his father Wartono and mother Sri Sulastri, watched the young activist celebrate.

"First I would like to thank the people, my mother and the students for my release. It was because of their struggle for sweeping reform," he said.

Budiman and his five PRD friends were granted amnesty by President Abdurrahman Wahid after spending almost three years in prison. "If it wasn't because of the people, maybe I would stay 10 years longer in here," he said to express his thanks to the new reformist government.

He said he would prefer to stay in prison if one of his friends, Petrus Hariyanto, was excluded from the list of prisoners released.

Minister of Law and Legislation Yusril Ihza Mahendra, who saw off prisoners from Cipinang Penitentiary, said that the initial failure to pick Petrus was a "technical mistake".

In front of Budiman and his lawyer Hendardi, Yusril said he had earlier told President Abdurrahman about the condition. "The President asked for my suggestion upon the matter and I proposed the government give amnesty to Petrus also," Yusril said.

"Then I order you to release him," President Abdurrahman Wahid said as quoted by Yusril. A presidential decree for Petrus' release will be issued on Saturday morning.

The released was made official at 8 p.m. when Director General of Correctional Affairs Hassanudin, Hendardi and Yusril signed the release documents and handed them to Budiman, who represented PRD inmates and Gregorio Da Cunha Saldanha, who represented East Timorese prisoners.

Budiman said he would continue his political career and build up his party. "I will initiate reconciliation inside my party and give political education to the cadres," he said.

Along with the PRD's activists, the government also released 18 political prisoners from East Timor. Two of them had been detained in Cipinang since the Santa Cruz incident in 1991, while the other 16 were arrested in 1997.

All of the East Timorese will be flying to Dili on Saturday morning with the help of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which has chartered a plane to transport them.

The spokesperson of ICRC, Sri Wahyu Endah said that Xanana would welcome the ex-prisoners as soon as they set their feet back in their homeland.

One of the East Timorese, Mario Fillipe, said he was grateful to the new Indonesian government. "Now I can go home and build East Timor with my fellow countrymen," he said. Mario was arrested in 1997.

Joan Bosco Ximenes expressed another feeling. "I regretted the slow action of the government, we should have been released three months ago," he said.

Another East Timorese, Gregorio Da Cunha Saldanha, said that he no longer felt hatred toward Indonesia. "I hope Dili can have build better relationship with Indonesia, as Indonesia is under a new good government," he said.

Gregorio was arrested in 1991 after the Santa Cruz incident. "I don't know where my family is. My house has been burned, but I'm happy now because I can see my homeland again," he said.

Some of the East Timorese refused to talk to reporters.

Earlier on Friday, the State Minister of Human Rights Affairs Hasballah M. Saad said that Dec. 10, which coincided with the commemoration of international Human Rights Day, was the right momentum to put an end to political imprisonment.

"What a good coincidence, maybe the President also sees today as the right moment to give amnesty," he told reporters during his visit to Cipinang Penitentiary.

In commemoration of Human Rights Day, Hasballah visited Cipinang Penitentiary and the women's penitentiary in Tangerang. (04)