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.