Mega ripped for blaming corruption on human rights
Mega ripped for blaming corruption on human rights
Tiarma Siboro and Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post,
Jakarta
Human rights activists criticized President Megawati
Soekarnoputri for using human rights as an excuse to allow
corruption to flourish in the country.
"Efforts to combat corruption and possible human rights
violations are two different things. Concerns of possible rights
violation is out of question if law enforcers abide by the law,"
noted lawyer Todung Mulya Lubis said on Friday.
He asserted that "nobody's rights will be violated" as long as
the government upheld existing laws and prosecuted alleged
corruptors in line with the due process of law.
Indonesia actually enacted an anticorruption law in 1999,
which provides a maximum sentence of death for convicted
corruptors.
Todung, one of the country's most highly respected rights
activists, expressed concern that the President's remarks might
indicate her reluctance to combat corruption and confuse legal
enforcement with tough actions against alleged corruptors.
"In a paternalistic society like Indonesia, any statement
spelled out by the leader will be regarded as a policy.
I think Megawati has shown too much wariness in combating
rampant corruption and indeed we can not be too optimistic that
it will be rectified," he told The Jakarta Post.
Separately, the deputy chairman of the National Commission of
Human Rights (Komnas HAM), Salahuddin Wahid, questioned
Megawati's commitment on corruption issues here.
"If she opposes the death sentence for corruptors, she could
just impose a life sentence without parole instead," while adding
that Megawati had rejected a request for clemency from death-row
drug convicts recently. She also did not complain about the death
sentences handed down to the Bali bombers recently.
On Thursday, Megawati asked people not to compare her
administration's action against corruptors with the ways in which
other countries, particularly China which has used its death
penalty for many corruption cases.
She said she feared that if she acted against corruption it
would be a violation of human rights to impose a death sentence
for major corrupters, many of whom have been blamed for dragging
the nation into the current crisis.
The government has come under fire for failing to address the
demand to eradicate widespread corruption, which was a major
objective of the reform movement that led to the downfall of New
Order authoritarian regime, which was strongly associated with
corruption, collusion and nepotism.
Many observers have said corruption has become more rampant
and open than ever before as it has reached epidemic proportions
in almost all state institutions, including the legislative,
judicial and government bodies.
The Berlin-based Transparency International (TI) recently
rated Indonesia again among the most corrupt countries in the
world.
Most high-profile corruption suspects have been given lenient
sentences or simply acquitted of all charges. In some cases law
enforcers have allegedly looked the other way and allowed
convicted corrupters to flee the country.
Megawati herself made a very unpopular move in the country's
drive against corruption by defying widespread public demand for
Attorney General M.A. Rachman's suspension after the Public
Officials Wealth Audit Commission found a serious problem with
some of his assets.