Court mafia

Court mafia

Talk about the existence of a court mafia is once again rife
in the mass media. Prof. Zainal Asikin Kusumah Atmadja, a former
Deputy Chairman of the Supreme Court, in an interview with the
daily newspaper Kompas disclosed the existence of such a mafia.
He even went so far as to say that about 50 percent of all judges
were believed to be "unclean".

The issue, which is not exactly new, immediately started
rolling. A number of experts have offered their opinions. Some of
them acknowledged the existence while others denied it. But
whether or not such a mafia exists, whether or not collusion does
take place, the fact remains that many complaints have been heard
from seekers of justice. This has already been admitted by legal
experts and practitioners as well as judiciary officials.

In view of this we naturally feel concerned, and all the more
so because the issue involves judges, who are often portrayed as
being the last bastions of justice. If even the people who are
active in the profession allow themselves to be encouraged to
discard their professional ethics, then the issue is sure to
reverberate loudly. The impact that it creates will be felt
deeply and could affect Indonesia's standing as a country based
on law.

-- Suara Karya, Jakarta