Oetojo scolds lax jail authorities

Oetojo scolds lax jail authorities

JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Justice Oetojo Oesman has ordered
all special treatment accorded to businessman Edy Tansil by
officials at the Cipinang Correctional Institution stopped
immediately.

Edy is the businessman convicted of siphoning off Rp 1.3
trillion (US$620 million) in loans from state-owned Bapindo bank
in 1994.

Oetoyo discovered the special treatment while conducting an
impromptu inspection of the penitentiary recently, Antara
reported.

"Edy should experience the same treatment as the other
inmates. He should not have been given special privileges. It is
true that inmates should be treated humanely, but that does not
mean that certain prisoners should be allowed to enjoy special
treatment," the minister said at his office yesterday.

Inmates at the penitentiary said that Oetoyo found a color TV
set and a fan that doubles as an air-conditioning unit in the
cell of the former Golden Key Group boss, who is presently
serving a 20-year prison term.

Oetoyo's impromptu visit to the penitentiary at midnight
caught the institution's officials, including its director,
Mintoardjo, off guard. The minister was accompanied only by his
driver.

Oetojo immediately asked Mintoardjo to remove the TV set and
the fan from Edy's cell.

"I have instructed the penitentiary director to give equal
treatment to all inmates, regardless of their social status. All
inmates have the same rights and duties at penitentiaries, so
there should be no discrimination," Oetoyo said.

Special treatment

He pointed out that the practice of giving special treatment
to certain inmates could give rise to jealousy among the other
inmates. "This could impair the reputation of the officials in
charge at the penitentiary. Officials at the justice ministry
could also be affected."

Other inmates at the penitentiary told The Jakarta Post
recently that Edy has converted a small storehouse next to the
clinic into a comfortable pavilion. They said they once saw a TV
set and a video player in Eddy's room, which is separated from
the other inmates' cells.

The minister also criticized the lax control at a penitentiary
in Bali, in which an inmate was found using a cellular phone
allegedly smuggled into his cell by his wife. "Administrative
sanctions should be imposed on the officials held responsible for
this."

When asked about the growing number of murders committed by
youths, the minister expressed deep concern at the phenomenon.
"Their actions are no longer regarded as juvenile delinquency,
but have been categorized as crimes. I'm very concerned about
this."

Big cities in Indonesia, especially Jakarta, are prone to
student brawls. In the last five days, three teenagers have been
killed in brawls in the capital.

Oetojo said this phenomenon should be viewed from various
perspectives, because it involves various factors, including
education, economy, the ever-growing population, the limited
number of public transit vehicles and the modernization now
sweeping through big cities like Jakarta.

The minister said that the increasing number of people living
in the city has turned many Jakartans into "aggressive people".

Oetoyo cited the Pavlovian theory about white mice which are
put into a cage." They lived peacefully and respected each other
when their number was still small. But when the number kept
growing, with the room and food supply remaining limited, they
became aggressive, hitting and clawing at each other every day."
(bas)