Muladi insists on Chief Justice post

JAKARTA (JP): Shaking off rumors of sex and financial scandals, former justice minister Muladi told a "fit and proper" hearing for new justices at the House of Representatives on Monday that he wants no less than the top Supreme Court job.

Muladi, who served under both former presidents Soeharto and B.J. Habibie, turned the long-running hearings for candidates for Supreme Court justice into a lively debate, not only because of the various allegations leveled against him, but also because of his insistence on taking the number one spot.

Muladi told the House's working committee that he would not take anything less than the chief justice job, saying that he could not perform well as an ordinary member of the Court.

Muladi, who was nominated by Golkar Party chairman Akbar Tandjung, is one of the top contenders to replace Chief Justice Sarwata, who retires next month. The other main contender is Benjamin Mangkoedilaga, a former judge with a clean reputation, who was nominated by President Abdurrahman Wahid.

Muladi, among the last 46 candidates to be grilled on Monday, did not even try to conceal his contempt for Benjamin.

"What would I do if Benjamin became chief? I would walk out!" said the law professor who is now active in the Habibie Center.

"If I become chief, it will be my last (legal) posting... I will do my best to restore the Supreme Court's dignity and authority.

"If I fail in the first three years ... I will resign," he said.

Muladi's face turned red when a House member confronted him with a report alleging that he once had an affair with the wife of a military officer during a trip to Italy.

He quickly collected his composure and went on the offensive, saying that the allegation was "the most scurrilous slander ever perpetrated against me."

"Just because I went to an international conference in Cairo, or other places with women or talked with a woman at the airport, doesn't mean I was having an affair," he said.

He said such rumors of impropriety could have been made against him during his time at the Diponegoro University in Semarang because as a lecturer he was always surrounded by female students and assistants.

Another report reaching the committee claimed that Muladi owned five lots of land in Semarang which he failed to report to the working committee.

Muladi responded that he owned three lots, which he had bought at a bargain price because they were vacant and infertile.

The House's working committee also accused Muladi of partiality and of ignoring many violations of the law during his term as justice minister.

Muladi insisted he had done his utmost, and pointed at the 67 pieces of legislation enacted during his brief service in the Cabinet -- from March 1998 to October 1999 -- as a remarkable achievement.

Observers following the hearing closely meanwhile condemned Muladi's demand for the chief justice job as improper.

Teten Masduki of Indonesian Corruption Watch accused Muladi of having a "hidden agenda" in wanting the job so desperately.

Teten regretted that the working committee failed to ask Muladi about his role as non-litigation chief of the legal team for high-ranking military and police officers in the ongoing investigation of human rights violations in East Timor.

"They should have questioned him on this. Muladi has a weak vision on human rights," he said.

Teten added that the wealth of candidates for judicial appointments should be independently audited and not solely questioned at the hearing.

Noted human rights lawyer Todung Mulya Lubis, who turned down a nomination to serve in the Supreme Court, said Muladi's demand for the top law job was "unethical"

Mulya blasted the working committee for failing to ask the big questions about the respective visions of the candidates.

"One hour is not enough to screen someone; the questions were not focused and failed to draw the candidates out in explaining their visions and missions," he said.

Mulya, who has been following the hearings for all 46 candidates since they began on Thursday, said that in his opinion, only two or three candidates survived the test.

Gde Soedharta, a career judge who was taking the test, fumbled when asked about the rampant practice of judges accepting gifts from members of the public.

Soedharta insisted that taking a "thank you" gift after a verdict was passed did not violate the judges' oath.

"Giving gifts to show your gratitude is considered a courtesy here in the East. It's all right to accept such gifts after the case has been settled," he argued. (bby/jun)