Death penalty for corruptors, why not?
Kurniawan Hari and Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
A death penalty proposal for those convicted of large scale corruption was put forth by the Crescent Star Party (PBB) on Monday and received a positive response from observers.
In a country where heavy-weight corruptors can freely flaunt their wealth, capital punishment would be a good shock therapy against thus far futile efforts to combat corruption, they said.
If Indonesia eventually has a law mandating death, People will have to think twice before they do the crime, said Riswandha Imawan, a political observer from Gadjah Mada University, Yogyakarta.
"It's a good idea but make sure that only the big time corruptors who steal billions of rupiah get death. It's not good for the rank-and-file who steal a typewriter," he said.
The Muslim-based Crescent Star Party floated the idea in one of the Assembly sessions on Sunday.
A Party spokesman at the Assembly, Mochtar Naim, said that in Islam, corruption -- just like stealing -- is one of the most serious offenses and punishable by death.
"The death penalty would save millions of people who have their rights deprived by the corruptors," he said.
The PBB was inspired by President Megawati Soekarnoputri's insistence on enforcing the death penalty for big time drug offenders.
Megawati has, on several occasions, called corruptors "thieves" who plunder the public's wealth.
Like other previous administrations, Megawati has been heavily criticized for her lack of courage to move against corrupt members of society.
Riswanda said that the death penalty for corruptors should be mandated even for senior officials, including cabinet ministers and president.
The idea also won cautious support from Muhammad Assegaf, a lawyer who is also an Assembly member from the interest group faction.
"An official involved in serious corruption and theft from the people deserves the punishment," he said.
Assegaf's fellow Assembly member from the interest group, Nursyahbani Katjasungkana said that the country was in need of shock therapy to deter corruption.
"What we have to do now is to revise the laws to include the death penalty," Nursyahbani said.
But not everybody is happy about the PBB proposal. J.E. Sahetapy, a legislator from the largest faction, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) is one.
Sahetapy is one of those against the death penalty for corruption, believing that it is not only against humanity but also not an effective way to deter would-be criminals.
"In the era of president Soeharto, there was Petrus (mysterious killing). But it was not effective," he said.