Legal intervention sought in Haryanto affair

Legal intervention sought in Haryanto affair

SEMARANG, Central Java (JP): The allegations of misconduct
against Minister of Transportation Haryanto Dhanutirto have been
so widely politicized that the only way to resolve the matter
once and for all is through a court of law, political observers
say.

Nahdlatul Ulama chairman Abdurrahman Wahid, legal expert
Sudikno Mertokusumo, sociologist Loekman Soetrisno, politician
Sri Bintang Pamungkas, and senior Moslem leader Yusuf Hasyim have
said on separate occasions that the Haryanto case, which
President Soeharto has declared closed, should be re-opened.

The analysts said the entire affair has turned into a
political battle, not only in relation to the allegations against
the minister, but also the way in which classified government
documents pertaining to the allegations were leaked and fell into
the hands of the media.

"I am not satisfied with the government's handling of the
corruption allegations at the Ministry of Transportation,"
Abdurrahman told The Jakarta Post on Thursday night.

The entire affair has now developed into a political battle
between two camps, he said.

"One camp uses the corruption issue to hit at the other camp,
and the latter strikes back with the documents leak issue," he
said.

"This is not healthy for the nation," he added.

He said the matter should be settled in court. "Corruption is
a criminal offense. He who commits a crime should be punished."

President Soeharto has already cleared Haryanto of the charges
and Minister/State Secretary Moerdiono explained there had been
"administrative" mistakes on the part of the minister.

Moerdiono's comments stirred the controversy further because
he failed to follow up with an explanation about who leaked the
documents, which were very damaging to Haryanto's reputation.

The documents leaked were a series of reports by Inspector
General Kentot Harseno to the President alerting him of the
allegations, which were made by discontented upper echelon
officials of the Ministry of Transportation.

Investigation

On Thursday, Moerdiono ducked reporters who were barraging him
with questions. He simply confirmed that an investigation into
the leak was still underway but ruled out reopening the Haryanto
case.

Sudikno Mertokusumo, a law professor at Gadjah Mada University
in Yogyakarta, said both cases, the corruption allegations and
the leakage, should be investigated and taken to court.

Loekman Soetrisno, a sociologist at Gadjah Mada University,
also suggested a legal solution although Haryanto has repaid the
state funds he reportedly used for private uses.

Sri Bintang Pamungkas said the decision to close Haryanto's
case is confusing the people.

"Justice is only a symbol in this country. People may think
that the court is only for the masses," he said.

Bintang, who is now being tried for alleged slander against
the President, said the Attorney General's Office should
investigate the corruption allegations.

Yusuf Hasyim, a leader of the Association of Indonesian Moslem
Intellectuals to which Haryanto also belongs, agreed that both
cases should be settled in court.

"If Haryanto is guilty, he has to be punished. The person
leaking the documents also has to be punished," he said in
Surabaya, East Java, on Thursday.

Yusuf disclosed that Haryanto was summoned before the ICMI
board last month to explain the allegations. "We have questioned
Haryanto, in his capacity as one of ICMI's deputy chairmen,
regarding the corruption allegations.

"Haryanto gave us all the facts," he said. He declined to give
details of the explanation.

Meanwhile, a political observer from the Indonesian Democratic
Party (PDI), Kwik Kian Gie suggested a nationwide campaign
against corruption.

"I suggest an intensive campaign, similar to the successful
Family Planning campaign we've had," Kwik, head of PDI's Research
and Development Division, said. (har/15/imn)