Nusakambangan: A resort or jail?

Nusakambangan: A resort or jail?

In the past everybody was horrified upon hearing the word Nusakambangan, which reminded people of Alcatraz in San Francisco Bay.

Nusakambangan prison, in Cilacap, Central Java, was established for hard core criminals; the most barbaric murderers and the wildest drug traffickers.

But, Nusakambangan in the past was much different from Nusakambangan today.

As a cold-blooded criminal, Tommy Soeharto deserves to be sent to Nusakambangan. He has also demonstrated his notable reputation -- as a criminal -- when he escaped justice.

Nusakambangan has become a friendly prison, especially since 'Bob' Hasan, a timber tycoon crony of former president Soeharto, was sent there two-years ago.

Bob has spent "a small amount" from his own purse to repair the prison's infrastructure. He has repaired the prison's mosque, established a sports fields and injected working capital for a craft workshop. He has also funded repairs to the boats traveling between the prison and Cilacap.

The result is that Bob Hasan is granted special treatment. He gets a special room, separated from other inmates for his generosity.

From the correctional institution point of view, what Bob Hasan has done looks positive. The question is if is it really allowed?

Isn't the substantial purpose of a prison the withdrawal of civilian rights from the inmates? Is a prisoner allowed to buy his or her civil rights when he or she is serving the jail term? What about equal justice for all irrespective of wealth?

Nusakambangan will likely be more attractive with Tommy Soeharto's being there. It is easy to predict that Tommy will join in "developing the prison".

Let's wait and see what the Minister of Justice and Human Rights Yusril Ihza Mahendra will do about it.

--Koran Tempo, Jakarta