House members seek clemency for political inmates

JAKARTA (JP): Two members of the House of Representatives urged yesterday the government to approve the requests for clemency from three political prisoners, who have been incarcerated for nearly 30 years.

During a hearing with Minister of Justice Oetojo Oesman, the House members, V.B. da Costa and K.H. Syamsuri Badawi, argued that the request for clemency should be granted on humanitarian grounds.

"As a civilized nation, we must be able to forget their past mistakes," V.B. da Costa of the Indonesian Democratic Party faction, said.

Syamsuri, from the United Development Party faction, said the government should approve their appeals if they really had atoned for their past mistakes. "Islam teaches us to give forgiveness to those who admit their mistakes," he said.

The government could find out that the three political prisoners have changed their political outlook and that they have become religious, he added.

The three political prisoners -- Subandrio, Omar Dhani and Latief Cakraningrat -- were all convicted by the court in the 1960s for their role in the 1965 communist-back putsch. They were all sentenced to death, but President Soeharto has since commuted the sentences of Subandrio and Omar Dhani to life imprisonment. Latief is, technically, still on death row.

The three men have been encouraged by Minister Oetojo Oesman to apply for a special clemency from President Soeharto. However, the minister has repeatedly stressed that the final decision would have to come from the head of state.

Talks concerning the special clemency surfaced amid calls from some politicians that the government make reconciliation moves with some of its opponents, particularly political prisoners, as the nation celebrates its 50th independence anniversary this year.

As part of the anniversary, the government is considering giving special pardons to some 24,000 prisoners this year.

Yesterday, Oetojo told the hearing with the House's Commission III that Soeharto is expected to make a ruling on the clemency application before Independence Day on Aug. 17.

After the hearing, he told reporters that he has submitted his report on the attitude and conduct of the three prisoners, accompanying the letters requesting clemency, to President Soeharto.

The minister and Chief Justice Soerjono have also presented some "humanitarian" factors which would be contemplated by the President in considering the request, he said. Considerations given by those who support and those who oppose the clemency have also been laid out to the President, he added.

Soebandrio, now 80 years old, was deputy prime minister to President Sukarno in the 1960s. Omar Dhani, 71, was minister/chief of staff of the Air Force. Latief, in his 70s, was a division commander of the Jakarta military command. (imn)