Minister Lopa vows to instill sense of justice

Minister Lopa vows to instill sense of justice

JAKARTA (JP): Newly sworn Minister of Justice and Human Rights
Baharuddin Lopa vowed on Friday to instill a sense of justice in
all matters related to his office, include the country's courts.

Lopa told reporters after taking his oath before President
Abdurrahman Wahid that his main concern was not just to settle
court cases, but also to create a conducive atmosphere so that
the courts could produce verdicts that reflect justice.

"That's why the President asked me to cooperate with the
Supreme Court," he said.

Prior to his appointment, Lopa, 65, was the Indonesian
ambassador to Saudi Arabia. He replaces Yusril Ihza Mahendra,
chairman of the Crescent Star Party.

Lopa, a former provincial chief prosecutor who also held the
position of director general of correctional institutions, is a
member of the board of experts of the United Development Party
(PPP).

He said the party chairman, Hamzah Haz, approved his
appointment as a Cabinet minister.

PPP secretary-general, Alimarwan Hanan, however, was upset by
Lopa's decision to join Gus Dur's administration, saying that he
had not consulted the party.

"He accepted the (ministerial) post without consulting first
(with the party). To us, a cadre joining the present Cabinet is
more of a challenge and an ordeal than a gift," Hanan told
Antara.

He said the PPP had been discussing the possibility of
withdrawing it sole representative in the Cabinet, State Minister
of Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises Zarkasih Nur,
following the House of Representatives' move to issue the
President a memorandum of censure to tell him he had violated
state policies.

The memorandum was a follow-up to a report made by a House
special committee which concluded that President Wahid was
involved in the State Logistics Agency (Bulog) and Brunei
financial scandals.

Alimarwan noted that after the issuance of the memorandum, his
party called for the immediate holding of a special session of
the People's Consultative Assembly to seek accountability from
the President.

He said they would bring up Lopa's appointment as justice and
human rights minister at the party's plenary meeting, where
members would decide on the steps needed to be taken by the
party.

During the installment of Lopa, the President underlined that
Lopa would be answerable only to him.

"Pak Baharuddin Lopa will only be answerable to the President,
not to anyone else," he said.

He also reminded the new minister to continue reforms in the
country's judicial system.

Lopa's oath-taking ceremony was led by Coordinating Minister
for Social, Political and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang
Yudhoyono.

Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri was unable to attend
because she was leading the commemoration of National Press Day
in Surakarta, Central Java.

Present at the ceremony were head of the Supreme Advisory
Council Achmad Tirtosudiro, deputy speakers of the House of
Representatives Sutardjo Soerjogoeritno and Muhaimin Iskandar,
Indonesian Military Commander Adm. Widodo AS and the outgoing
justice and human rights minister, Yusril.

The President fired Yusril on Wednesday on the grounds that
other Cabinet members could not work with him.