Muchtar Pakpahan's trial resumes

Muchtar Pakpahan's trial resumes

JAKARTA (JP): The subversion trial against labor leader
Muchtar Pakpahan resumed yesterday after a six month adjournment
due to the defendant's deteriorating health.

The South Jakarta District Court heard testimony from a
Department of Finance official, Ma'mun Gulmay, who was brought to
the stand by prosecutors as an expert witness to confirm whether
a civil servant's salary was adequate.

Pakpahan, leader of the unrecognized Indonesian Prosperous
Labor Union (SBSI), was charged with subversion in December last
year.

The prosecution claims Pakpahan spread hatred against the
government in a book he wrote and other statements made between
August 1995 and July 27, 1996.

In one of his statements made through SBSI, he asserted that a
decent daily wage for a worker should be at least Rp 7,000
(US$2.4) while civil servants and Armed Forces personnel should
receive at least Rp 600,000 a month.

Ma'mun claimed yesterday in his testimony that the Rp 78,000
($27) minimum salary of civil servants and Armed Forces members
was sufficient.

Pakpahan and his lawyers repeatedly asked Ma'mun to confirm
whether it was enough.

Yesterday's trial was time-consuming as Pakpahan and his
lawyers were not allowed to question the witness. Questions were
directed to presiding judge Djazuli P. Sudibyo who then relayed
the question.

On several occasions Djazuli asked the defendant to repeat the
question or flatly rejected it saying it was irrelevant.

This often resulted in heated debate between Judge Djazuli and
Pakpahan's four lawyers.

After the hearing, one of the defendant's lawyers, Luthfie
Hakim, said he was very upset with the trial procedure. (05)