Language and law experts defend Bintang in court
Language and law experts defend Bintang in court
JAKARTA (JP): Experts in language and constitutional law were called into court yesterday to defend controversial politician Sri Bintang Pamungkas, who allegedly called President Soeharto a dictator.
Linguist J.S. Badudu testified at the Central Jakarta District Court that even if the word "dictator" was uttered, it should have been acceptable in the context of a scientific forum.
Harun Al Rasjid, a constitutional law expert, said in separate testimony that Bintang was speaking in a seminar and should have had the liberty to express his opinion.
"A seminar is a freedom forum for every participant to express his or her ideas," Harun said.
Government prosecutors have brought charges of libel against Bintang, who lost his seat in the House of Representatives last May. The prosecutors are claiming that Bintang, during a lecture before Indonesian students in Berlin, called President Soeharto and his predecessor Sukarno dictators. They have also alleged that Bintang accused both presidents of deviating from the Constitution.
Bintang has denied the charges, saying that his remarks were taken out of context.
"Bintang's remarks, saying that both Sukarno and Soeharto were dictators, were not slanderous because they were stated in a scientific forum held at a university," Badudu told the court.
Bintang's remarks were more of an accusation than a slander, he said.
Harun said that according to international law, calling a person dictator was not slander. "I have not heard of anyone abroad who has been put on trial for calling a government official a dictator," he said.
He said the word "dictator" has a neutral meaning. "It doesn't always have a negative connotation."
The trial was adjourned until next Wednesday.
The government prosecutors plan to summon two seminar participants, Sri Basuki and Sunarto, to testify.
Several students who have already testified for Bintang said both Sri Basuki and Sunarto were the ones who made the alleged remarks in their questions for Bintang.
Both Sri Basuki and Sunarto have been German citizens since completing their studies there in the 1960s. (imn)