Free them all

A job half done is a job undone. Debatable as such a statement may be to some, many people would agree that this holds true in the case of the release of political prisoners in Indonesia.

Of the hundreds of prisoners of conscience who have been languishing for months or years in prisons across this country, two of the most prominent among them -- university lecturer and dissenting politician Sri Bintang Pamungkas and independent labor leader Muchtar Pakpahan -- were released earlier this week and are now back in the forefront of the reform movement.

Amid the current demands for total reform and the correction of the wrongs and injustices done under the recently departed regime, the release of these opposition leaders has naturally been greeted by the public as one of the most significant so far.

The release of the two, however, is not enough. Unless the government follows up their release and honors its promise to free more prisoners, and fast, an impression could easily arise that Bintang's and Pakpahan's release was no more than a cosmetic step aimed at assuring Indonesians and the world that things have changed in Indonesia.

Indeed, given the current climate of total reform, even the promise of more releases in the coming weeks -- with the condition that those freed were not involved in the 1965 communist coup and still show a faithful adherence to the Pancasila national ideology and the Constitution -- may not satisfy the multitudes of Indonesians seeking to correct the wrongs of Soeharto's New Order regime.

In a true democracy where the basic rights of citizens is respected and imprisonment for purely political or ideological reasons is unacceptable, no one should be imprisoned for holding and expressing views that differ from those in power. The calls by the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation and the Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights Association for the government release all political prisoners indiscriminately and unconditionally must be seen in this light.

Important as these considerations may be, much more than the issue of basic rights is involved in these calls. For one thing, Indonesia urgently needs to improve its image if it is to draw world sympathy to its side to overcome the economic crisis.

An unconditional release of political prisoners would certainly do much to restore this country's poor human rights reputation, tattered further in the past months by reported abductions and torture of student and political activists, the forceful repression of peaceful demonstrations and the fatal shootings of students in Jakarta.

Of no less importance is the fact that the government needs the full support of all Indonesians if it is to conquer this country's protracted crisis. Now is the time for the government to start working toward a national reconciliation involving all segments of society. For this purpose, we can imagine no better gesture than the indiscriminate and unconditional release of all political prisoners.

Regarding Jose Alexandre "Xanana" Gusmao: The government may find it worthwhile -- if only for practical reasons -- to consider the release of the East Timorese leader as well. Although political courage may be needed, Xanana's release would certainly lift the new government's standing abroad significantly. Indeed, the longer Xanana stays in prison, the greater his international stature seems to become. Should the government feel uncomfortable with the idea of having Xanana walk free on Indonesian soil, it could always ask a friendly country -- Australia or South Africa, perhaps -- to accept the East Timorese leader.

The issue of political prisoners, Xanana included, has long been a thorn in Indonesia's side. It is time that we resolve this problem once and for all.