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)