Latief keeps hands off Muchtar's case

Latief keeps hands off Muchtar's case

JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Manpower Abdul Latief, facing
increasing foreign and domestic pressure to intervene in the
trial of labor leader Muchtar Pakpahan, maintained yesterday that
he had neither the intention nor the capacity to help.

Latief told a hearing with the House of Representatives that
Muchtar's court case, which began in Medan, North Sumatra on
Monday, had nothing to do with labor problems in Indonesia.

"We can't do anything to have Muchtar released or seek a
lighter sentence," he told the House's Commission VI on labor.
"That is the sole authority of the court."

Muchtar, the chairman of the outlawed All Indonesian
Prosperity Union (SBSI), was arraigned in a Medan court on Monday
on charges of inciting workers to violence during a labor protest
that turned into a riot in the city last April.

During the hearing yesterday, a number of legislators asked
Latief to consider the request by a group of U.S. congressional
members to acquit Muchtar of the criminal charges.

The congressional representatives sent a letter to the U.S.
Trade Representative's office recently, urging Washington to
strike Indonesia from the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP)
because of the way Jakarta handled the SBSI case and other labor
problems.

Latief said Muchtar's case is a criminal case. "Let the court
try the case fairly," he said, adding: "Indonesia is a sovereign
state and therefore foreign countries should not intervene in its
internal matters."

He said that Washington was welcome to send a representative
to observe Muchtar's trial.

Although considered illegal, the government has tolerated the
presence of SBSI.

GSP

During the hearing, Latief was careful not to refer to SBSI as
such. Instead, he used the term "Muchtar and his friends" when
talking about the organization.

He declined to be drawn into the GSP controversy, saying that
it was an internal matter for the United States to decide.
"However, we regret that they (congressional members) are using
the labor issue to press us to free Muchtar," he said.

Washington has been reviewing the GSP facility for Indonesia
over the past year, amidst allegations that Jakarta has failed to
respect the rights of Indonesian workers. A decision was
originally expected in August but the U.S. embassy last month
said the dialog was continuing.

Latief said Indonesia has significantly improved the
conditions of its workers and this might have been taken into
account by Washington. "If not, the trade facilities would have
been suspended," he said.(rms)