Crime & punishment

Crime & punishment

From Koran Tempo

The article on Building an anticorruption zone in Koran Tempo (June 25) sets out a good approach, but we should first take a look at the circumstances of our country and society since independence.

In my view, it's not only the perpetrators but also the system that must be dealt with. The government has provided too much leeway for embezzlers: One who steals a chicken worth Rp 100,000 and another who embezzles public money totaling Rp 700 billion receive the same punishment (the latter might even end up walking free).

The government should have the courage to introduce harsher punishments for big-fish embezzlers and those guilt of malfeasance as taxpayers' money is involved. The penalties should not necessarily be the same as those in America as the per capita income of a developing nation is 1/100th that of the U.S.

In Indonesia, the death sentence needs to be considered for those who involved in malfeasance. If the question of human rights arises, there is a solution at hand as we have a minister in charge of human rights to take care of the matter.

SULASTORO YUSUF Balikpapan, East Kalimantan