Former student activists frustated by reform results

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Seven years after the fall of former authoritarian leader Soeharto, there has been little improvement in people's welfare and law enforcement, former student activists say.

"There were two things that we student activists fought for in 1998: first, lower the prices of basic needs and second, bring Soeharto to trial. Neither have happened," said Niko Adrian, a former student activist and founder of the now defunct City Forum (Forkot).

Niko, who now works as a public defender for the APHI legal aid body, said people's welfare had not improved because none of Soeharto's successors had been committed to the Constitution.

"For example, Article 33 says that natural resources should be exploited only for the maximum benefit of the people, but on the contrary, the government has privatized some vital state-owned companies, which benefited only businesspeople," he told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

Regarding Soeharto, he said there had not been a single president after Soeharto who had the courage to bring the man to trial because they were still backed by a few politicians from the New Order regime.

"As a lawyer, as far as I know, the capability of a defendant to stand trial is determined by the judge. A judge will ask whether or not the man is healthy enough to stand trial. But in Soeharto's case, he didn't even go to court," he said.

Soeharto, who stepped aside in May 1998 after leading the country for more than three decades, had been accused of plundering the country to enrich himself, family members and cronies. The Attorney General's Office, however, has declared him unfit to stand trial.

Another former Forkot activist, Luthfi Iskandar, agreed that many of the students' demands had not been fulfilled, but at least there had been a slight improvement in the fight against corruption.

In 1998, students also demanded the elimination of corruption, collusion and nepotism, which became rampant during the 32 years of Soeharto's presidency.

"At least there is an intense struggle against corruption now, which has exposed high-profile cases involving state officials. But that's not enough, there has been no tough punishment, such as the death sentence, handed down to embezzlers yet," said Luthfi, who runs a private information and technology company.

Luthfi added that tough sentences were needed as a warning that corruption could not take place in the reform era.

Many big-time embezzlers, mostly associated with Soeharto's New Order regime, have not been prosecuted. Some still hold strategic political positions in the country, which has consistently been ranked one of the world's most corrupt nations.

Jim Lomen, a former activist from Trisakti University, said such minimal progress was not enough to reflect the success of the reform movement.

"Yes, some corruption cases have been exposed to the public, and President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has supported such exposure, but we must also realize that corruption has also spread out to the provincial and regency levels. Corruption has also become decentralized," said Jim, who works for a cargo company.

He suggested that President Susilo focus primarily on law enforcement, the success of which would have a domino effect on people's welfare.

"In 2009, he will either be reelected or another president will replace him. He or she could just focus on reforming the economic sector," Jim said. (006)